The popular Ford F-150 Raptor is getting a few changes for the 2011 model year. A new four-door SuperCrew option is now available in addition to a more powerful standard engine.

"When we launched the F-150 SVT Raptor, consumers were blown away with the capability of the vehicle," said Jost Capito, director of global performance vehicles and motorsports business development. "By adding the SuperCrew, we have expanded the versatility of Raptor, and now even more enthusiasts will be able to experience the no-compromise off-road performance that only Raptor delivers."

The F-150 SVT Raptor is seven inches wider than a base F-150 and it features internal triple-bypass shocks by FOX Racing Shox, unique cast-aluminum front control arms and VT-tuned 35-inch BFGoodrich® All-Terrain TA/KO 315/70-17 tires. The SuperCrew version has a 12-inch longer wheelbase than the standard version.

For 2011 the 5.4L V8 has been dropped and the previously optional 6.2L V8 is now standard. It puts out 411-hp and 434 lb-ft. of torque. The standard 6.2L V8 makes the 2011 F-150 SVT Raptor, the most powerful half-ton pickup on the market.

Following the introduction of the Taurus Police Interceptor Sedan, Ford has now unveiled the Police Interceptor Utility, which is based off the 2011 Explorer. The Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility are going to replace the aged Crown Victoria Police Interceptor next year.

The Police Interceptor Utility is powered by a 3.5L V6 that puts out at least 280 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Both front and all-wheel-drive drivetrain options will be available.

"We understand today's police departments require adaptability," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Ford is committed to remaining the nation's largest provider of police vehicles, and we're offering law enforcement officials a complete portfolio of options that are purpose-built, capable and delivered with the safety, technology and performance they need to excel at their jobs."

Production of the Police Interceptor Utility isn't expected to start until late 2011.

Mustang fans just got exciting news this morning. Ford has announced the return of the Mustang Boss 302 for the 2012 model year.

"The decision to build a modern Boss was not entered into lightly," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "The entire team at Ford felt the time was right and with the right ingredients, the world-class 2011 Mustang could support a successful, race-bred, worthy successor to the original Boss 302. For us that meant a production Mustang that could top one of the world's best - the 2010 BMW M3 - in lap times at Laguna Seca. We met our expectations."

The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 starts with the Mustang GT, but gets a race-inspired clutch, adjustable suspension, short-show shifter, improved brakes and most importantly an upgraded version of the 5.0L V8. The 5.0L V8 now puts out 440-hp and 380 b-ft. of torque thanks to a new intake and revised camshafts.

In addition to the upgrades under the hood, Ford has included some subtle changes on the exterior to set the Mustang Boss apart. The Mustang Boss will either have a black or white roof panel, coordinated to the color of the side C-stripe. Available exterior colors are Competition Orange, Performance White, Kona Blue Metallic, Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat Metallic and Race Red.

The front of the Mustang Boss gets a unique fascia and grille that is highlighted by the blocked-off fog lamp openings and aggressive lower splitter, a version of the design used on the Boss 302R race car.

The interior gets a unique Boss steering wheel that is covered completely in Alcantara suede. The standard seats are trimmed in cloth with a suede-like center insert, but Recaro bucket seats are optional. A dark metallic instrument panel finish, gauge cluster and door panel trim also differentiate Boss from the standard Mustang. Hopefully you will enjoy the added sound from the engine and exhaust as well, since eleven pounds of sound-deadening material has also been removed.

Ford's EcoBoost engines are slowly making it into the engine bays of all of its models. Ford has just announced the engine lineup for the 2011 F-150. For 2011 the F-150 is getting four new engines, a 3.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter and 6.2-liter V8, and the twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5-liter. All four engines are mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

"Our new engine lineup allows greater flexibility for customers to select the powertrain choice that best suits their needs," said Barb Samardzich, vice president of Powertrain Engineering. "We are in the midst of a powertrain revolution, with 30 new powertrains over the next two years, and our loyal F-150 customers are the next ones to benefit."

At launch the 300-hp 3.7L V6 and 360-hp 5.0L V8 will be available followed by a version of the 6.2L V8 that is available in the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. A 3.5L EcoBoost engine specifically tuned for the F-150 will be available in early 2011. Once the 3.5L EcoBoost joins the lineup the the 2011 F-150 will have up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared with the outgoing 2010 F-150.

Kelley Blue Book has announced the results of its latest Market Intelligence Brand Watch study, which contains the five most-considered auto brands. For Q2 2010 Ford remains on top, but the big news is that Hyundai has made a significant jump into the top five, pushing Nissan out.

"According to the Q2 2010 Brand Watch Study, over the past quarter Hyundai consideration has surged nearly six percentage points in the non-luxury coupe/sedan/hatchback segment, now garnering 29 percent of the total consideration among shoppers of this segment and bested only by Honda (45 percent), Toyota (42 percent) and Ford (38 percent)," kbb said in a statement.

Ford held the number one spot followed by Toyota, Chevy, Honda and then Hyundai.

Ford is continuing its partnership with Harley-Davidson and has unveiled the 2011 Harley-Davidson F-150. The partnership has already produced nine F-150 models as well as s six Super Duty F-250 and F-350 models.

The exterior of the Harley-Davidson F-150 features a front fascia with a six-bar-shaped billet-style satin chrome grille and "Harley-Davidson" satin chrome badging. It also features a standard, fully integrated deployable running board that gives the truck a lowered appearance. 22-inch Euroflange wheels are standard and buyers have a choice between either Tuxedo Black and Ingot Silver exterior paint colors.

Inside the interior trim panels are covered in Tuxedo Black paint while the door scuff plate and console lid also carry the engine-turned finish. It comes standard with a 4.2-inch LCD screen, second-row heated seats, power moonroof and a rear view camera.

The exciting news under the hood is that the Harley-Davidson F-150 is powered by the same 6.2L V8 as the F-150 SVT Raptor. It puts out 411-hp and 434 lb-ft. of torque.

"This engine has tons of torque and already has been proven in the field with both the F-150 SVT Raptor and Super Duty," said Mike Harrison, V8 engine program manager. "The exhaust for the Ford Harley-Davidson edition has been specially tuned to feature a throaty V8 rumble customers will love."

Ford's 6.7L Power Stroke turbocharged diesel engine is getting an upgrade with an extra 10 horsepower and 65 lb-ft of torque, which brings the final numbers to 400 horsepower and a massive 800 lb-ft. Those numbers are enough to put the Super Duty pickup at the top of the class, narrowly beating GM's 6.6L Duramax.

In case you bought a 2011 Super Duty diesel early this year and you feel shafted by the fact that it now has more power, Ford is offering a free 30-minute software upgrade. For the next 12 months buyers who bought the Super Duty diesel before the power upgrades can bring their pickups into their dealership.

"We want to take care of our loyal, F-Series Super Duty pickup owners who supported us when we debuted our all-new Ford-designed, Ford-engineered and Ford-built Power Stroke earlier this year and reward them by offering them the same best-in-class torque, horsepower and fuel economy our new customers are receiving right now," said Barb Samardzich, Ford Motor Company's vice president of powertrain engineering.

Ford has officially sold Volvo to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited (Geely) for $1.8 billion.

"Volvo is an excellent brand with a strong product line, and it has returned to profits after a successful restructuring. We are confident Volvo has a solid future under Geely's ownership," said Alan Mulally, Ford's president and CEO. "At the same time, the sale of Volvo will allow us to sharpen our focus on the Ford brand around the world and continue to deliver on our One Ford plan serving our customers with the very best cars and trucks in the world."

Under the agreement, Ford has not retained any ownership of Volvo, but will continue to supply Volvo with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components for differing periods of time.

Now that the new Explorer has switched over to a unibody SUV, that means that one model is getting the axe, the half-pickup, half-SUV Sport Trac.

After a decade being sold next to the Explorer, the Sport Trac is officially dead.

Yesterday Ford officially took the wraps off the all-new 2011 Explorer and Ford has already launched the online configurator which details all the pricing.

The Explorer will be available in three trim levels: base, XLT and Limited.

Pricing:
-Base: $28,190 (FWD), $30,190 (AWD)
-XLT: $31,190 (FWD), $33,190 (AWD)
-Limited: $37,190 (FWD), $39,190 (AWD)

The 2011 Explorer can be powered by either the 290-hp 3.5L V6 or a new 237-hp 2.0L turbocharged 4-cyl. Pricing has yet to be released for the 4-cylinder, but it's expected to be priced higher than the V6 powered Explorer.

Well here it is! After what seemed like month's of weekly teaser photos, Ford has officially unveiled the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer.

"The all-new Explorer will deliver today's SUV buyers the attributes they really want and value, and a few they might not even have dreamed of," said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. "We're proud to introduce the new Explorer to customers and fans around the world today and pleased to begin a whole new era that blends strong SUV fuel economy and performance."

20 years after the first Explorer was introduced, the all-new Explorer is completely different and ditches the old-school body-on-frame design for a more modern unibody structure that it will share with the Taurus, Flex and Lincoln MKS and MKT. In addition to the new unibody structure, the 2011 Explorer will also be available with Ford's new 2.0L EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. The 2.0L puts out 237-hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. The standard engine will be the 3.5L V6 engine that puts out 290-hp and 255 lb-ft. of torque. The V6 is mated to a six-speed automatic and according to Ford will get more than 20 percent better fuel economy compared to the outgoing Explorer V6.

The Explorer will be available with either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Although some may criticize the fact that Ford is switching to a unibody design for the Explorer, Ford remains committed to its off-road going ability with a new intelligent 4WD system, which features a terrain management system. Drivers only have to turn the console-mounted knob to select the proper setting among snow, sand, mud and normal modes.

The Explorer will be available in three trim levels: base, XLT and Limited. Standard features include the MyFord driver connect technology including 4.2-inch LCD screen, MyKey™ owner control feature, power windows and locks, media hub and a telescoping steering wheel.

Ford's Chicago plant will start building the Explorer later this year with sales starting early next year.

Ford has announced that the new 2011 Lincoln MKX has been officially rated at 19 mpg city and 26 mpg on the highway, with a combined fuel economy of 21 mpg by the EPA. Those numbers put the 2011 MKX at the top of its class.

The 2011 MKX is powered by a 305-hp 3.7L V6.

"The Lincoln MKX doesn't sacrifice power to receive its great fuel economy," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president, Global Product Development. "Our engineers were able to deliver an increase in power and torque in a fashion that reflects the luxurious driving experience that Lincoln is known for."

Lincoln has announced a new promo for the summer that will offer free scheduled maintenance for three years or 45K miles on all new vehicles that are purchased by September 7th.

The promotion comes on the heels of Ford's announcement to officially kill the Mercury brand and to expand the Lincoln lineup.

"Our commitment is to further grow the Lincoln brand and offer our luxury customers the premium experience they deserve and expect," said Ken Czubay, Ford Motor Company's vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. "Our free scheduled maintenance offer marks only the first step in our plans to further upgrade the Lincoln experience."

Here's a single image of what looks to be the 2012 Ford Explorer. Based on previous teasers and spy photos this image seems to be real.

What do you think?

The next Explorer will arrive early next year and will ride on the same unibody platform as the Taurus, which means it will be available with either front or all-wheel-drive.

As was predicted, Ford has officially killed the Mercury brand. Ford released a press release earlier today in which the automaker has announced the demise of the Mercury brand and the further expansion of the Lincoln lineup.

Ford is going to end production of the Mercury brand in the fourth quarter of this year. With sales dropping significantly over the past ten years and a lack of new models it was only expected that Ford was going to kill off the brand.

Although Mercury is now officially dead, the news isn't all that bad since Ford has announced plans to expand the Lincoln lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed models within the next four years.

"We have made tremendous progress on profitably growing the Ford brand during the past few years. Now, it is time to do the same for Lincoln," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "The new Lincoln vehicles will transform luxury for North American premium customers through an unexpected blend of responsive driving enjoyment and warm, inviting comfort. We will also offer our customers a world-class retail experience through a vibrant retail network."

Ford is going to expand the Lincoln lineup with its first ever C-segment vehicle as well as the 2011 MKZ Hybrid and 2011 MKX.

According to the Detroit News, Ford is going to hold a press conference at 3 PM EST in which the automaker is going to announce the official death of the Mercury brand.

Stay tuned....

After years of promising new products for its Mercury line, it looks like Ford is finally going to kill Mercury.

Mercury sales have dropped 74 percent since 2000 and without any new product, the sales will only continue to fall. According to sources, Ford's top executives are preparing a proposal to kill Mercury.

Mercury has long been a forgotten brand and the fact that it keeps losing models, only makes it worse. Ford CEO, Alan Mulally originally promised that the brand would survive, but it looks like Mercury is set to follow the same route as Pontiac, Saturn and Oldsmobile and Plymouth.

According to sources, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and other members of the founding family all support killing Mercury.

Mercury was originally launched by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford in 1939.

Ford has unveiled a new top-end model of the Ford Flex, dubbed the Flex Titanium.

The Flex Titanium is based on the Limited model and comes in four exterior color choices: Red Candy, White Platinum, Tuxedo Black and Ingot Silver. All four colors are mated to a new tuxedo black two-tone roof. There is also a blackout treatment for the headlamps and taillamps. The beltline moldings, fog lamp bezels and side-view mirror skull caps are blackened while the liftgate appliqué is now black chrome.

Inside the black theme continues with charcoal black leather-trimmed seats with gray Alcantara suede inserts.

HD Radio and one-touch PowerFold third row seats are also part of the package.

The front-wheel-drive non-turbo V6 model starts at $40,350, while the EcoBoost AWD model goes for $45,185.

Ford just announced that the 2011 Fiesta officially gets 40 mpg on the highway and now Ford has announced the launch of a new ad campaign for the new Fiesta, "It's a Pretty Big Deal."

"The Fiesta Movement enabled us to introduce the car to market in a whole new way," said Matt VanDyke, Ford's director of U.S. Marketing Communications. "We are continuing that nontraditional approach with a unique advertising campaign designed to get people's attention by entertaining them as well as educating them about the vehicle."

A new 60 second ad will debut tonight during "American Idol" on FOX.

The EPA has officially rated the 2011 Ford Fiesta at 40 mpg highway and 29 mpg in the city when it is equipped with the new six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission.

"The new Fiesta is yet another car in Ford's lineup that delivers class-leading fuel economy," said Barb Samardzich, vice president, Global Powertrain Engineering. "From Super Duty to Fusion Hybrid and the new Mustang V-6, Ford is committed to fuel economy leadership with every new vehicle it introduces in all segments."

The Fiesta is powered by a 1.6L Duratec engine that puts out 120-hp. It can be mated to either the dual-clutch automatic transmission or a five-speed manual. The five speed manual is rated at 28 mpg city and 37 mpg highway.

The 2011 Fiesta sedan and five-door hatchback will be in showrooms this summer.

The Ford Explorer was once the best-selling SUV for years, but lately its been off the radar with sales dropping sharply the last few years. Well Ford hopes to reverse that with the next-generation Ford Explorer, which for the first time is going to be built off a car platform.

Jim Holland, chief engineer for the redesigned Ford Explorer, is pictured here standing next to the new Explorer. Many of the questions that Ford is getting about the new Explorer surrounds the fact that it is going to ditch its more rugged body-on-frame design. Ford has already revealed a new terrain management system that has five different settings: Normal, mud, sand, snow and hill descent.

The next Explorer is going to actually share its platform with the Taurus, which actually means that it's technically a crossover, but Ford plans to still market it as an SUV. It will be interesting to see how the Explorer does compared to the seven-seater Flex crossover, which has already failed to meet sales expectations.

Production of the new Explorer is expected to start being produced at the end of the year. It remains to be seen if the new Explorer can recapture some of the sales its lost in the past six years.

Ford has announced plans to bring its seven-seater Grand C-MAX to North America in late 2011.

The Grand C-MAX is based off Ford's new c-segment platform, which is shared with the new Focus and the Mazda5. The small minivan marks the return of a Ford vehicle with sliding rear doors. Ford has yet to announce what will power the Grand C-MAX when it goes on sale here.

In addition to the announcement about the Grand C-MAX , Ford also announced plans to release a hybrid version of the five-seater C-MAX in 2013 for European customers.

"The Hybrid Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Electric derivatives of the all-new Ford
C-MAX are great news for the Valencia plant and region, for Spain, and for Ford customers across Europe. These new advanced technology models are key to Ford's commitment to delivering a portfolio of alternative powertrain vehicles globally and to European customers in the next few years," said John Fleming, Chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe and executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Labour Affairs.

Ford has used the Beijing Motor Show to unveil the Start Concept.

"In an era of constant visual noise, we have created a car that conveys visual purity and harmony, in which every line has meaning and purpose. The Ford Start delivers a dynamic, personality driven design that stays true to the global Ford brand," said J Mays, group vice president, Design, and chief creative officer.

The overall design of the Start Concept is based on simplicity with its exterior body panels made from deformable, pre-colored recyclable composites. The concept also features a lightweight aluminum safety cell, which is part of the hybrid aluminum/high strength steel body construction.

Although the Start Concept is a pure concept, what lies under the hood is close to being a reality. The Start Concept is powered by a new one litre three cylinder EcoBoost engine. the small turbocharged 1.0L engine features a cast iron block with cast aluminum cylinder heads. Ford did not release official specs for the engine other than saying that its power and torque levels are comparable with a normally aspirated 1.6 liter four-cylinder.

Ford has announced that the all-new 2011 Explorer will be available with an advanced terrain management system that optimizes the four-wheel-drive system.

"Talking with customers told us that flexibility and freedom to tackle any road, anytime is important to them," said Explorer Chief Nameplate Engineer Jim Holland. "We saw the opportunity to eliminate a compromise by adding an intuitive and efficient terrain management system that can demystify four-wheel-drive control and enable the driver to properly match 4WD traction to the situations and road conditions they encounter."

The new terrain management system eliminates the guesswork when it comes to deciding between 4WD high, 4WD low and 2WD high. Drivers can simply choose the correct setting with the turn of a dial which has simple to read icons. The icons depict the various settings to best suit driving conditions.

The all-new Ford Explorer will go into production later this year.

Well the third month of 2010 is officially over and although most of today's news is surrounding the New York Auto Show, we can now report the sales totals for last month.

It looks like the dismal sales of 2008 and 2009 are behind us, since March 2010 was a great month for most of the automakers. Buick actually had the highest percentage increase of almost 76 percent compared to March 2009, which helped GM's core brands post a 43 percent increase over the same month last year. Everyone has been wondering how Toyota is doing with all the recalls, but don't worry, Toyota had a great month with almost a 41 percent increase, which was largely attributed to some aggressive incentives. Ford sales improved by almost 40 percent and Honda posted a 22.5 percent increase. Sadly the Chrysler Group posted an 8 percent drop last month.

For a breakdown of the top 10 best-selling cars last month check out the list after the jump.

Lincoln is debuting the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, which is set to become the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in the US.

"Lincoln's hallmarks are design, technology and comfort. Now, Lincoln also delivers the best fuel efficiency of any luxury sedan in America," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas.

Like it's Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrid siblings, the Lincoln MKZ hybrid is powered by a 2.5L Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder mated to an electric powertrain. The setup puts out 191 horsepower and yields at least 41 mpg on the highway, which tops its nearest competitor the Lexus HS 250h. The MKZ can also travel up to 47 mph in electric mode compared to only 25 mph in the Lexus.

The 2011 MKZ Hybrid will go on sale later this year.

To mark the the end of current Focus RS production, Ford of Europe has unveiled teh limited-edition Ford Focus RS500. The model is set to debut at the 2010 Leipzig Motor Show in Germany on April 9 and the RS500 highlights the strictly-limited production run of 500 individually-numbered vehicles.

The Ford Focus RS500 is powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder that puts out 350 PS and 460 Nm of torque (345 horsepower and 339 lb-ft.). It also comes in a unique matte black 'foil' paint finish with matching alloy wheels.

"We were determined to mark the end of production for the current and acclaimed Focus RS with something even more special," said Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe's vice president for Product Development. "From its stunning looks to its intoxicating performance, we have no doubt that the RS500 will be appreciated and quickly snapped up by performance car enthusiasts.

Ford has announced today that it has finalized an agreement with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited to sell Volvo for $1.8 billion.

Ford is not going to retain any stake in Volvo since Volvo will be 100 percent owned by Geely. Ford will continue to supply Volvo with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components. Part of the sale also includes that Ford will provide engineering support, information technology and access to tooling for common components.

"Volvo is a great brand with an excellent product lineup. This agreement provides a solid foundation for Volvo to continue to build its business under Geely's ownership," said Alan Mulally, Ford's president and CEO. "At the same time, the sale of Volvo will allow us to further sharpen our focus on building the Ford brand around the world and continue to deliver on our One Ford plan serving our customers with the very best cars and trucks in the world."

The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.

The 2011 Ford Mustang V6 is finally getting a much needed power boost thanks to a new 305-hp 3.7L V6, which means that it now has more power than the 2010 Camaro V6. On top of that, the Mustang also gets better gas mileage. But now it looks like the Mustang's lead may be short lived according to Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette marketing manager John Fitzpatrick.

The 2011 Mustang puts out exactly one more horsepower than the Camaro V6 305 vs 304, but according to Fitzpatrick, that could soon change. The Camaro SS already has a power advantage over the 2011 GT at 426-hp vs 412-hp. When asked if Chevy is going to respond to the numbers challenge in the next couple of years, Fitzpatrick told Automobile, "you might see it sooner than that." Details on the 2011 Camaro are expected in the next few weeks. It shouldn't be that hard to beat the Mustang's horsepower numbers, but we'll have to wait and see if Chevy can also match the Mustang's 31 mpg on the highway.

Ford is determined to prove that the 2011 Mustang V6 is the most fuel efficient pony car. Last year Ford proved that the Ford Fusion Hybrid could travel over 1,000 miles on a single tank and this year, Ford is set to do a similar challenge with the new Mustang.

This time Ford is going to take the 2011 Mustang V6 to the Bristol Motor Speedway, where a team of Ford engineers will prove that the Mustang can circle the half-mile NASCAR bullring at least 1,000 times, which is more than 500 miles. The 2011 Mustang V6 gets 19 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

"We all know how much fun it is to drive Mustang, but in today's market it's also about fuel economy," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. "By going 1,000 laps or more on one of NASCAR's most popular tracks, we expect to show that when it comes to Mustang, you can be mean and green."

Fans can have a chance to win a new Mustang by entering the national sweepstakes in which they can guess the total number of laps that the Mustang will complete. The grand prize winner will be randomly selected from all those who correctly guess the number of laps completed during the Challenge and will take home a 2011 Mustang V-6 coupe.

The 2011 Ford Mustang GT gets a new 412-hp 5.0L V8 and when it's mated to the six-speed manual transmission it gets 26 mpg on the highway, giving it the best fuel economy in its class. The six-speed manual GT gets 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway and the six-speed automatic gets 18/25 mpg. In comparison the Camaro SS gets 16/24 mpg with the manual and 16/25 with the automatic.

Ford has also announced that the 305-hp Mustang GT gets 19/31 mpg.

Ford has announced the official EPA numbers for the 2011 Ford Mustang V6, which gets 31 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city. This marks the first production car in history that has over 300 horsepower and that also manages to get over 30 mpg on the highway.

The 2011 Mustang is powered by a new 3.7: V6 with 305 horsepower that is mated to an available six-speed automatic.

"Advanced powertrains like our Ti-VCT V-6 and six-speed automatic really speak to the future of Mustang," says Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president of Global Powertrain Engineering. "We've proven that, using technology, Ford can deliver both power and fuel economy."

Ford has already received over 11,000 orders for the 2011 Mustang, with half of those orders for the V6 model, which goes on sale this spring.

As we begin the third month of 2010, February has come to a close and the sales numbers have come in. The big news for most of February was the tragedy that has overcome Toyota, which resulted in a significant nine percent sales decline due to the recall issues. Although Toyota had a very difficult month, some automakers enjoyed a nice increase over the same period in 2009. Ford was one of those automakers with a great month that resulted in sales that topped both GM and Toyota last month. Ford posted a 43 percent increase in sales last month, although much of the gain is attributed to a 74 percent jump in fleet sales.

Many analysts predicted that Toyota's problems would have improved sales for Ford and Honda, but although Honda's sales were up 13 percent last month, it was not the case. Most would be Toyota buyers simply waited on the side lines. GM's sales rose 12 percent compared to February 2009, but its sales were slightly down from January.

"The February results demonstrate that not only are the recent Ford product offerings being well-received, but also that GM is still suffering from post-bankruptcy syndrome," said Jack R. Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

Ford has announced that it will unveil the 2012 Ford Focus Wagon at the Geneva Motor Show, which starts tomorrow. The Focus Wagon is the fifth model out of at least ten from Ford's new global C-car portfolio.

"Our next generation of C-cars shows how Ford is using its global resources to develop at least ten new models or derivatives from the same platform globally," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Product development. "The Focus wagon is the next model to be revealed, and is particularly significant for the European market as more than a third of our C-car customers here prefer a wagon bodystyle."

In Europe, Ford expects that the Focus wagon will account for at least one-third of all sales.

It hasn't been announced if the wagon will be offered in the US.

"As with all of the models in our new global C-platform portfolio, there is scope to offer this dynamic wagon additionally in other markets around the world, provided the business case and customer demand exist," said John Fleming. "We see this as an integral part of our global next-generation Focus line-up, and we're eager to hear the reaction to what we believe is a very stylish and distinctive car."

Ford has announced plans to invest up to $155 million and add 60 jobs at its Cleveland, Ohio plant that will build the new 3.7L V6 for the 2011 Mustang. The new 3.7L V6 puts out 305 horsepower and also gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

"Ford is absolutely committed to delivering class-leading fuel efficiency with every new vehicle we introduce, and this investment in Cleveland provides further proof," said Bill Russo, director of manufacturing for Ford's powertrain operations.

Last week Ford announced that the automaker has already received over 11,000 orders for the 2011 Mustang, with half of those for the new V6 model.

"Mustang is completely transformed with this new engine," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "Everything people love about the car is still there and now under the hood is a V-6 engine that uses premium technology to deliver the power, the feel, the fuel efficiency, even the sound of the best sports coupes in the world."

Ford has announced that the automaker has received almost 11,000 orders for the new 2011 Mustang in the first month that orders were taken, which is triple the orders for the 2010 Mustang during the same time period.

Of all the orders, 50 percent are for the V6 models, which are now powered by a new 305-hp 3.7L DOHC V6. The engine gets an estimated 30 mpg on the highway, which is a 25 percent improvement over the 2010 model.

"The new engine transforms Mustang," Ling said. "Everything people love about the car lives on, and now under the hood is a V-6 engine that uses premium technology to deliver the power, the feel, the fuel efficiency, even the sound of the best sports cars in the world."

The 2011 Mustang GT is now powered by a 5.0-liter four-valve, Ti-VCT V-8 engine that puts out 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft. of torque, while getting 25 mpg on the highway.

Nine percent of the orders are for the Shelby GT500 models, which are powered by an all-new aluminum-block 550-hp 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine.

Ford has released the specs for the 2011 F-Series Super Duty. The 2011 Super Duty starts with the all-new 6.2L V8 with 385-hp and 405 lb-ft. of torque, which is 85 more horsepower and 40 lb-ft. more torque than the current 5.4L V8. The more exciting news is the introduction of the all-new 6.7L Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel that puts out 390-hp and 735 lb-ft. of torque. Ford also claims that the engines has class leading fuel-economy. Both engines are mated to a new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift® six-speed automatic transmission.

The new powertrains give the 2011 F-Series Super Duty class leading towing capability of 24,400 pounds and best-in-class payload capability of 6,520 pounds.

"The 2011 Super Duty offers the widest array of solutions for the widest array of heavy-duty work truck customers," said Chris Brewer, chief engineer. "The Super Duty lineup offers a variety of bodystyles and powertrains, from diesel and gasoline engines, each with a new six-speed transmission, to pickup trucks and chassis cabs, each with the towing and payload capabilities that define Super Duty."

Ford touts the F-150 SVT Raptor as the "first-ever high-speed off road performance truck" and this spring it will also become the most powerful half-ton pickup on the market thanls to a new 411-hp 6.2L V8. Ford has announced that the F-150 SVT Raptor is exceeding sales expectations with over 5,300 orders already placed.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the popularity of the F-150 SVT Raptor," said Mark Grueber, F-150 Marketing manager. "Orders have exceeded our expectations. The truck is so popular that we actually wound up building more 5.4-liter V-8 models than we had originally anticipated. The order banks are now open for the all-new 6.2-liter V-8, and the orders keep rolling in."

Most of the orders have come in from the Southwest and Texas. Tuxedo Black has also been the top color by accounting for 52 percent of all orders.

Mark Fields, Ford President of the Americas unveiled plans to launch a new small car for the Mercury brand in early 2011 during a meeting with U.S. dealers at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Orlando, Florida.

The new small Mercury will be built off the same platform that is also the basis for the new 2012 Ford Focus. The small Mercury is one of ten models that Ford is planning on building off its global small car architecture. It's been a question for years if Ford was going to eventually kill off the Mercury brand since Mercury hasn't had a completely new product in years. When the new small Mercury launches, Mercury will only consist of the Milan, Mariner and whatever the small car is named.

Ford unveiled the 2011 Ford Edge at the Chicago Auto Show, which is Ford's first application of the much talked about 2.0L EcoBoost engine. It looks like the Edge will not be the only vehicle getting the new engine for 2011. During Ford's press conference it was confirmed that the new unibody 2011 Ford Explorer will also be available with the EcoBoost 4-cyl engine when it is released by the end of the year.

Ford has yet to provide any horsepower numbers for the 2.0L EcoBoost, but Ford claims it will have the performance feel of a V6.

Stay tuned...

At this year's Chicago Auto Show, Ford is set to unveil the new 2011 Ford Edge, which gets new styling inside and out, plus the availability of three different engines. Like it's cousin the Lincoln MKX, the 2011 Edge gets a new front fascia and revised rear end. Inside the Edge get's Ford's new MyFord Touch driver connect technology, which replaces traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges with LCD screens and five-way controls like those found on cell phones and MP3 players.

Under the hood, the 2011 Edge will have a choice of three different engines, one of which is Ford's new 2.0L EcoBoost 4-cyl. Ford claims that the new 2.0L will be 30 percent more fuel efficient than the V6 was in 2006, but will have the performance feel of a V6. The second engine is the 3.5L V6, which gets (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, or Ti-VCT) and now puts out 285 horsepower and 253 lb-ft. of torque. The Edge Sport is powered by the 3.7-liter V-6 with 305 horsepower and 280 ft-lb. of torque. All three engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2011 Ford Edge will be will be available this summer.

Ford has officially unveiled the 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, which features an all-electric powertrain that will be available for fleet customers.

The 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric will use a Force Drive electric powertrain manufactured and integrated by specialty upfitter Azure Dynamics. It has a range up to 80 miles on a full charge and will be rechargeable using either 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlets.

"Transit Connect Electric exemplifies how we are leveraging our relationships as well as our hybrid and advanced powertrain programs to bring energy-efficient technologies from the laboratory to the street," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "Not only is this an ideal vehicle for eco-conscious fleet operators, it is an important part of Ford's future."

In addition to the Transit Connect Electric, Ford is also planning on introducing the Focus Electric in 2011, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012 and a next-generation hybrid in 2012.

Following the introductions of the more powerful Mustang and Mustang GT, Ford has unveiled the 2011 Shelby GT500, which benefits from a new aluminum engine and improved handling.

For 2011 the Shelby GT500 is powered by a 550-hp 5.4L V8 with 510 lb-ft. of torque. IN addition to the increased horsepower, the new engine is 102 pounds lighter than previous cast-iron engine. The new lighter engine improves fuel economy (15 city/ 23 highway), therefore the gas guzzler tax has now been eliminated.

"The SVT team continues to push the performance standards of the Shelby to even higher levels and better refinement," said Jost Capito, director of global performance vehicles and motorsports business development. "All the changes we made reflect a desire for even better handling and outstanding driving dynamics - from weight savings to improved balance."

The addition of Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), a new optional SVT Performance Package, enhanced convertible rigidity and a lowered ride height contribute to improved driving dynamics and handling.

Ford is going to officially unveil the 2011 Shelby GT500 on Monday, which will get a new SVT performance package and a more powerful V8 engine.

The 2011 Shelby GT500 will still be powered by the same 5.4L V8, but with an extra 10 horsepower, for a total of 550. A new lighter aluminum block should help improve handling and fuel economy numbers. The SVT performance package includes visual changes such as skinnier hood stripes and a solid body stripe on the side. It also features 19-inch wheels in the front and 20-inch wheels out back and upgraded springs and shocks. The final drive ratio has been upgraded to 3:73 from the the base GT500's 3:55.

Other new options for the 2011 GT500 include the glass roof for the coupe and two new colors (Race Red and Ingot Silver Metallic).

The shot above is from a teaser reel.
Expect more details on Monday.

The first month of 2010 is officially over and the final sales numbers have come in. It was a crazy month for Toyota since it was forced to stop selling eight models a few days before the end of the month, which definitely hurt its final sales numbers.

But enough about that. Here are the top ten best selling vehicles from last month. The Honda Accord took over the number one best-selling car spot from the Camry, which dropped to number 7 on this list. It's also interesting to note that with the exception of the two best-selling vehicles on the list, the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado the rest of the vehicles on the list are all sedans (the Accord Crosstour was lumped into the Accord's sales). Both the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V are missing from the list this time.

Check out the full list after the jump.

Next week Ford is going to unveil the new 2011 Ford Edge. Like the recently unveiled Lincoln MKX, the Ford Edge is going to get a facelift. According to the latest reports and spy photos the Edge will be new from the A pillar forward. But the big news is that the Edge will be Ford's first vehicle to get the new four-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

The new 2.0L EcoBoost four-cylinder is expected to put out the same power as a 3.0L V6, but get better gas mileage. The 3.5L V6 will still be offered.

In addition to the new EcoBoost engine, the Edge will also be the first Ford vehicle to feature the MyFord Touch system, which replaces most of the traditional gauges with computer screens.

Expect more details from the show.

It looks like GM has finally come to an agreement with Spyker to purchase Saab, but don't forget about Volvo. Ford is still currently finalizing a deal wtih China's Geely to buy Volvo. According to the latest rumors the deal could be worth as much as $1.8 billion or as little as $1.6. In 1999 Ford purchased Volvo for $6.45 billion.

Late last year, Ford announced that it had achieved an accord with Geely Holding Group, but the deal is still subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010.

Part of the plan involves Geely building a Volvo factory in China. Analysts predict that the Volvo XC60 crossover will be the first model produced in China.

Ford is expected to add 1,200 jobs at its plant in Chicago that will start building the new Explorer by the end of the year. Currently the Explorer is being built at Ford's Louisville, Ky plant.

The Chicago plant has been underutilized the past year, but by shifting the Explorer production will likely add a second shift. Currently the factory employs 1,400 workers. Currently the plant produces the Taurus.

The next-gen Explorer is expected to be smaller and more fuel-efficient as it switches to a unibody platform. The final styling is expected to be based on the Ford Explorer America concept that was unveiled in 2008.

The Ford Mustang got all-new engines for the 2011 model year and next up for Ford's ponycar is the 2014 model year. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Mustang and according to Motor Trend, Ford aims to have an all-new pony car to celebrate it.

The big challenge facing Ford's product planners is how are they going to build the next Mustang. CEO Alan Mulally's "One Ford" theme insists that vehicles cannot be built unique to one country. Ford's original plan was for the Mustang to be apart of the global rear wheel drive platform which would have also been the basis for the next generation Australian Ford Falcon, and possibly a new flagship sedan for Lincoln. But the next-generation Falcon isn't going to happen due to slow sales.

Either way a source insists that the next Mustang will have an independent rear suspension. Ford's planners are apparently looking at three different possibilities for the next Mustang: an evolution of the current model with a continued focus on the 412-hp 5.0L V8 as the halo engine; an M3-style car with a turbocharged V6 for markets outside the US, like Europe; or to transform the Mustang into ultra-high performance coupe like the Nissan GT-R.

To coincide with the 45th anniversary of the 1965 Shelby GT350, Shelby American has unveiled the 2011 Shelby GT350. The 2011 Shelby GT350 builds on the 2011 Mustang GT, which means it is powered by the same 5.0L V8 fitted with a Ford Racing supsercharger that bumps the power up to 500 horsepower.

In addition to the supercharger under the hood the Shelby GT350 gets an upgraded suspension with new Ford Racing springs, struts, sway bars and adjustable caster/camber plates. The GT350 also gets a Baer brake system, Borla exhaust system and 19-inch Cragar wheels. The car also receives a new front fascia, tail light trim, front splitter, rear deck lid filler panel and rear fascia.

The Shelby GT350 is a post title program, which means that buyers buy the Mustang GT from a local dealer and then it is turned into the Shelby GT350 by the Shelby American Team. The price of the conversion is $33,995, which does not include the price of the base car. So expect to pay in the low $60K range once it's all done.

Ford has announced the changes to the 2011 Mustang and Mustang GT, but has yet to release the pricing for the now more powerful pony car. Well The Mustang Source has posted a leaked PDF of the basic pricing for the new Mustang. If the PDF is correct the base 305-hp Mustang is going to start at $22,145 and the 412-hp Mustang GT will start at $29,645. The base Mustang convertible is going to start at $27,995, while the Mustang GT convertible will start at $34,645.

We haven't heard much about the Ford Ranger lately, but according to the latest reports, Ford is still planning on ending production of the US-built Ranger next year. The Ranger was the second best selling compact pickup selling over 55k units, while the Tacoma sold 111,824 last year.

Even though the Ranger sold 55,600 units last year, Ford is still moving forward with the Ranger's death and the larger F-150 could be its replacement as Ford plans more fuel-efficient powertrains for the F-150.

"Today, a lot of customers who buy Rangers are the people who use it as a commuter vehicle," Derek Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of product development, told PickupTrucks.com last week at the North American International Auto Show. "But with the new Ford Fiesta and Focus coming into the lineup, those kinds of customers will have other alternatives to the Ranger."

"We're going to continue to make the F-Series significantly more fuel efficient while still providing the level of capability that the F-150 provides today," Kuzak said. "There will be no compromise for better fuel efficiency. The vast majority of Ranger buyers are not using the full capability of the truck. We have to compare those customers choosing a very affordable and fuel-efficient F-150."

The F-150 is expected to get Ford's new 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost, which is supposed to be as powerful as a V8 with the efficiency of a V6 engine. The 3.7L V6 from the Mustang and Lincoln MKX is also expected to be offered. A four-cylinder EcoBoost is also reportedly in the works for the F-150.

Although the Ranger is slated to be discontinued next year, there is still a chance that the new global Ranger, code-named T6, could be offered here.

"It's no secret we have a new Ranger coming globally. We're working on one for all the other markets in the world," Kuzak said. "The difference is that all of those other markets only have a Ranger. They don't have an F-150 above it.

The 2011 Ford Mustang GT is set to pace the 2010 Daytona 500 on February 14th. The 2011 Mustang GT sees the return of a 5.0L V8 under the hood and now puts out 412 horsepower. The Mustang GT that will pace the the field will be a one of a kind Mustang.

The 2011 Mustang GT pace car will be painted in a special Daytona 500 Race Red paint scheme with Blue/White Lemans stripes. It also gets a Ford Racing suspension, strut tower brace, mufflers, unique painted wheels and special interior treatment including lighted sill plates. The Mustang will also be an actual production car with an early VIN and will be offered for auction at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction on Saturday January 23rd. All Proceeds over MSRP will go to help cure childhood diabetes through a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This marks the first time in 40 years that a Ford vehicle has paced the Daytona 500. The last time was the 1970 Torino GT convertible.

Ford has officially unveiled the refreshed 2011 Lincoln MKX. The 2011 MKX benefits from a refreshed exterior with a new front fascia that now includes Lincoln's new signature grille. Out back there are new taillights and exhaust tips.

The most noteworthy changes to the 2011 MKX lie beneath the hood and in the interior. First the new MKX gets new engine, a 3.7L V6 that puts out 305 horsepower and 280 lb-ft. of torque. Even though horsepower has been increased 15 percent over the 2010 model, the MKX gets 25 mpg on the highway and runs on regular fuel. To improve its handling the revised MKX gets retuned springs, shocks and stabilizer bars.

Inside the 2011 MKX gets Ford's recently announced MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology. MyLincoln comes standard on the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

"With its combination of style, performance and uncompromising luxury, the Lincoln MKX has brought new customers into the Lincoln showroom in a way that very few products have before," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "Lincoln customers tell us they care most about style and technology, and the new Lincoln MKX meets these needs perfectly. The new MyLincoln Touch technology will change the way customers interact with their vehicles while its new design language gives the vehicle a distinctive and stylish silhouette we know customers will love."

The Detroit Auto Show is just getting started this morning and it has just been announced that Ford has received both of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards for 2010.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford Transit Connect take home the awards. This is only the third time in 17 years that an automaker has taken home both of the awards. The last time this happened was in 2006 when Honda received the awards for the Civic and Ridgeline.

Ford has officially unveiled the next-generation Ford Focus which is going to be the same model on both sides of the Atlantic...finally!

The all-new Focus will start production at the end of 2010 simultaneously in Europe and North America and go on sale in early 2011, as a 2012 model. When the Focus was originally launched in 1998 and the US a year later the model was basically the same in North America and Europe, but in 2004 Europeans got a second generation Focus, while those of us on this side of the Atlantic had to make due with the original model with mild facelifts. The current Focus we have is still based on that original model and for years we've been begging Ford to bring the Europen model to North America. Well now our wishes have been granted. The next-generation Ford Focus is going to once again be a true global vehicle that adopts Ford's European "Kinetic" design language.

The new Ford Focus is a clear demonstration that our ONE Ford strategy is providing global consumers with great products that harness the best of Ford Motor Company," said Alan Mulally, Ford's president and CEO.

"The efficiencies generated by our new global C-car platform will enable us to provide Ford Focus customers with an affordable product offering quality, fuel efficiency, safety and technology beyond their expectations," he added.

The next-generation Focus spearheads Ford's new generation of global C-cars, which are all based on the same platform and will eventually produce up to 10 different models. Ford expects 2 million units of annual production by 2012.

When the new Focus debuts it will launch with Ford's EcoBoos four-cylinder turbocharged direct injection engines including the 1.6L in Europe and a 2.0L in North America. The 2.0L unit uses DI and Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) technology and puts out 20 more horsepower (est 155 hp and 145 lb-ft.) than the current 2.0L Duratec four-cyl and gets up to 10 percent better fuel economy. The 2.0L is mated to a six-speed manual or Ford's dual-clutch PowerShift automatic transmission.

Both the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback Focus will be offered in North America.

2010 is going to be a big year for Ford with the introduction of nine new engines and six new transmissions, which is part of a five year plan to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio, which totals 60 new powertrains.

Ford began working on the new engines and transmissions in 2008 and the push continues through 2013.

"Ford is delivering on our commitment to lower emissions, improve fuel economy and deliver the highest quality powertrains in the industry," said Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president, Powertrain Engineering. "We are making this happen with one of the most ambitious powertrain upgrades ever undertaken by Ford. By the end of 2010, nearly all of Ford's North American engines will have been upgraded or replaced since 2008."

In 2010 Ford is going to introduce new engines in the Fiesta, Mustang, F-150 and Super Duty. The all-new 2012 Focus will be powered by an all-new normally aspirated 2.0-liter direct fuel injection engine.

Ford as introduced a new smarter, safer, simpler system to connect drivers with in-car technologies, dubbed MyFord. Building on its successful SYNC system Ford has combined a variety of technologies into one powerful, intuitive connected driver experience.

"MyFord delivers a premium interior experience that will help consumers fall in love with their vehicles again," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "It integrates all our signature features so customers will know exactly what they're going to get in any Ford vehicle they may find themselves driving, no matter where they are in the world."

The MyFord Touch system does away with the buttons and knobs that we've become accustomed to in today's car interiors. Instead they have been replaced by dual 4.2-inch LCD screens in front of the driver, five-way button steering wheel controls and an 8-inch touch screen all controlled by a simplified SYNC.

The MyFord system will initially launch this year in the 2011 Ford Edge and globally with the introduction of the 2012 Focus. The MyLincoln Touch system will will be standard equipment on new Lincolns beginning with 2011 Lincoln MKX.

Ford has announced that the Ford F-Series has been the best-selling truck for 33 straight years, outselling its nearest rival by 97,000 units, largest margin in three years. Sales in 2009 totaled units 413,625, outselling its nearest rival by more than 97,000 units, the largest margin in three years. In addition the F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the US for the past 28 years.

This spring, Ford is going to introduce a new F-Series Super Duty that will be powered by a new "Scorpion" 6.7L Power-Stroke V8 or an also new 6.2L gas powered V8 .

So it looked like the Chevy Camaro was set to outsell the Mustang this year with a strong month over month showing in the latter part of this year, but the final numbers are in and the Mustang holds onto its title.

Ford sold 66,623 Mustangs, while Chevy sold 61,618 Camaros. Of course the Camaro didn't go on sale until April 2009, which gave the Mustang a slight head start. But the fact that the Mustang is getting two new engines this year, a 305-hp V6 and 412-hp 5.0L V8 means that this race probably won't be as close this year.

Detroit's automakers have been focusing more on fuel-efficient small cars lately, but more than 20 percent of their sales still come from full-size trucks. Additionally even with competition from Toyota and Nissan, Detroit's Big 3 hold 91 percent of the market.

"There is still that one stronghold left over," said Jesse Toprak, auto analyst for TrueCar.com. "It is important -- at least in the interim -- that the domestics experience strong truck sales because it generates cash."

Full-size trucks could help play a role in the recovery of Detroit's Big 3, especially once the housing market rebounds, thanks to the construction industry. Although full-size trucks account for 20 percent of their sales, sales have dropped 31.2 percent this year. The automakers and dealers are hoping for a rebound next year.

2011 sees the return of the 5.0L V8 in the Mustang GT. After a series of embargo leaks, Ford has officially unveiled the changes to the 2011 Mustang GT.

First off the 2011 Mustang GT is now powered by an all-new 412 horsepower 5.0L V8 wth 390 lb-ft. of torque that is mated to either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy is expected to be better than the old engine with 25 mpg on the highway with the automatic transmission.

"This all-new 5.0-liter engine is the next chapter in the development of the world-class Mustang powertrain portfolio," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "It's a thoroughly modern engine for the times, delivering the performance and fun-to-drive factor that enthusiasts want, while improving fuel economy."

The other changes to the 2011 GT include new 5.0 fender badges and three new colors.Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat, Race Red and Ingot Silver. A Brembo brake package is also available which includes 14-inch vented front discs from the GT500 Mustang, unique 19-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires.

Ford has announced this morning that all terms with relating to the sale of Volvo Cars to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Company Limited have been settled. There is still more work to be done to complete the sale though. Ford anticipates that the final agreement will be signed by both parties in the first quarter of 2010 and the sale should be complete by the second quarter.

Although Ford will officially be selling Volvo, Ford still intends on working closely with Volvo in the future.

Expect more details soon...

Ford already unveiled the changes to the V6 powered Mustang for 2011, but Mustang fans have been eagerly awaiting the news of what's in store for the Mustang GT. Ford is going to unveil the 2011 Mustang GT in Detroit next month, but according to Inside Line the Mustang GT is going to be powered by a 412 horsepower 5.0L V8. In comparison the Camaro SS puts out 421 horsepower and the Challenger STR8 puts out 425 horses.

Stay tuned for more details from the show next month.

Ford officially unveiled the 2011 Ford Fiesta at the LA Auto Show yesterday and now all the pricing details have been posted on Ford's website.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta starts at $13,320 and is available in four and five-door body styles. It's powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder that gets up to 40 mpg on the highway.

Now the Fiesta is listed on Ford's website you can build the Fiesta to your personal tastes. The cheapest Fiesta is the four-door sedan at $13,320. If you want the five-door hatchback it starts at $15,120. The hatchback equipped with Ford's new dual-clutch automatic transmission starts at $16,190 and the SES model starts at $17,120. A fully loaded Fiesta will cost you over $20k.

If you decide to reserve your Fiesta before it goes on sale Ford will throw in no charge SYNC with navigation, premium sound and a VIP customer service experience.

November 2009 is officially over and luckily for most automakers the huge declines that were experienced earlier in the year leveled off with a pretty flat month in sales. Hyundai, Subaru and Nissan all saw gains with 46 percent, 24 percent and 21 percent respectively.

It's no surprise that the top two vehicles are the Ford F-Series followed by the Toyota Camry. Overall the list of top ten best selling vehicles last month is pretty much the same as its been most of the year, with the order just changing a little bit. Note that the Honda Civic dropped all the way to the number 10 spot last month.

Check out the full list after the jump.

It's finally here, Ford has officially unveiled the US-spec version of the 2011 Fiesta.

As expected the US version of the Fiesta is pretty much identical to the version our friends in Europe get. The main distinction between the two is noticeable from the front where the body color grille of the Euro version has been replaced by the chrome three bar grille. Personally I think the Euro grille looks better, but I guess Ford knows better. In addition to the new grille are new LED light strips that are where the fog lights are on the Euro version. The fact that the lights are surrounded by a large chrome backdrop is off putting. Also what if buyers want fog lights? There were also some changes on the inside to the dashboard and seats.

Once you get past the few cosmetic changes, the US-spec Fiesta is pretty much the same as the Euro version, which is a good thing. The Fiesta is powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder with 119 horsepower and 109 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to either a five-speed manual or a new six-speed PowerShift electronic dual clutch automatic transmission. Unfortunately Ford isn't going to offer paddle shifters with the dual clutch transmission. On the plus side Ford claims that the Fiesta will get 40 mpg on the highway when its equipped with the dual clutch transmission. Ford also claims that the US-Spec Fiesta will be just as fun to drive as the Euro version and will best the Honda Fit.

The 2011 Fiesta will be offered in four and five-door body styles when it is released next year.

As expected the 2011 Ford Mustang is going to get some changes under the hood to make it more competitive. Ford has announced the changes to the base Mustang, which for 2011 will be powered by a 3.7L V6.

Currently the base Mustang is powered by a 4.0L V6. The 2011 Mustang gets a new 3.7L V6 that puts out 305 horsepower and 280 lb-ft. of torque. The V6 can be mated to either a six speed automatic or six speed manual transmission. According to Ford, the V6 mated to the six-speed automatic gets 30 mpg on the highway.

"Mustang is completely transformed with this new engine," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "Everything people love about the car is still there and now under the hood is a V-6 engine that uses premium technology to deliver the power, the feel, the fuel efficiency, even the sound of the best sports coupes in the world."

Since this new V6 easily outguns the current 4.6L V8, it's no surprise that Ford is also going to announce a new V8 for the Mustang.

For the 28th year in a row, CARandDRIVER has picked the 10 best cars. This year's list consists of a few returning models like the BMW 3 Series and Honda Accord, which have both been on the list 19 and 24 times, respectively.

The publication tested 58 models worth $2.5 million total and logged a total of 12,000 test miles. New to the list this year is the Ford Fusion Hybrid, note that the gas only version isn't though. The Chevrolet Corvette, Infiniti G37, and the Jaguar XF are all off this year's list.

Check out the complete list after the jump.

Ford is definitely on a roll right now and the good news keeps coming in. Today Motor Trend announced that the 2010 Ford Fusion is the recipient of its Car of the Year award.

The 2010 Ford Fusion managed to beat out 23 other models for the award, which included the Toyota Prius, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Ford also had three models this year that were in the running for the award. The Taurus, Fusion and Mustang.

"The MOTOR TREND Car of the Year award is another testament of our commitment to delivering a world-class car lineup," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Ford Global Product Development, who accepted the golden calipers on behalf of the Ford team. "Whether it is the best-in-class fuel economy or quality unsurpassed by Toyota or Honda, the Fusion and Fusion Hybrid are clear evidence that Ford is serious about our car lineup."

This announcement comes on the heels of Ford announcing that the Fusion is now the best-selling midsize domestic sedan in the US and that the model is now in the list of top ten selling vehicles.

Ford has announced that the automaker is working on a new Police Interceptor that will replace the aged Crown Victoria in 2011.

The new Police Interceptor will be offered in 2011, when the Crown Victoria is finally discontinued.

"We have heard the repeated requests from the law enforcement community to continue uninterrupted support of the law enforcement community," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Ford is answering the call with the new Police Interceptor - engineered and built in America."

Ford currently holds 75 percent of the police pursuit vehicle business in the U.S. This announcement also follows GM's announcement to release a new Chevy Caprice sedan for police duty.

Each year Ford sells about 45,000 police vehicles.

The 2010 Ford Fusion has been quite the success for Ford. It's been a while since Ford has been competitive in the mid-size sedan market. The days of the best-selling Taurus are a distant memory, but after five years on the market and a successful redesign, the Fusion is picking up pace.

Sales of the 2010 Ford Fusion have already reached 151,137 units, which already eclipses the previous full-year sales high of 149,552 in 2007. In the first 10 months of 2009, Fusion sales have improved 15 percent.

"It's extraordinary that a car could set a sales record in an environment where overall industry sales are down 26 percent from a year ago," Ford sales analyst George Pipas said.

Of course Fusion sales are still way off from the Camry and Accord, but the Fusion is now the best selling domestic car.

Ford Unveils New Car For Cash-Strapped Buyers: The 1993 Taurus
Oh gotta love The Onion!

Ford has unveiled the auto industry's first ever inflatable seat belt, which is designed to add more protection for rear seat passengers.

The new inflatable seat belt is designed to inflate in a mere 40 milliseconds and when expanded the belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts. The new seat belt inflates slower than a conventional air bag and uses cold compressed gas instead of a heat-generating chemical reaction.

"It's a very simple and logical system, but it required extensive trial and error and testing over several years to prove out the technology and ensure precise reliable performance in a crash situation," said Srini Sundararajan, safety technical leader for Ford research and advance engineering.

The new inflatable seat belt will debut first on the next-generation Ford Explorer in 2010 and then it will eventually be offered in vehicles globally.

When Ford launched the F-150 SVT Raptor it was powered by Ford's 5.4L V8, but Ford promised that a new 6.2L V8 was in the works. Well Ford has announced the introduction of the 411-hp 6.2L V8, which is the most powerful engine available in a half-ton pickup.

The new 6.2L V8 puts out 411 horsepower and 434 lb-ft. of torque and according to Ford it has 1.5 seconds faster 0-60 mph time than the standard 5.4L.

Pricing for the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with the 6.2L V8 starts at $41,995.

Lincoln is poised to downsize its current lineup with the addition of new smaller vehicles that are a huge departure from its other vehicles like the Navigator SUV.

Lincoln has shown off the possibility of small Lincolns with its recent concept cars and It's rumored that Lincoln could be working on a new compact car that would share its platform with the new global Focus. But it's not certain if Lincoln is ready to take a risk that its other luxury rivals have shied away from, fearing that the US market isn't ready for smaller cars.

But in the meantime a new compact crossover based on the European Ford Kuga is expected to be offered in late 2011. Redesigned versions of the Kuga will be released by Lincoln and Mercury. The Kuga is also expected to replace the Ford Escape.

Ford has reported a third quarter profit of $997 million compared to the $161 million net loss for the same period last year. The announcement represents Ford's first operating profit in nearly two years.

"Our third-quarter results clearly show that Ford is making tremendous progress despite the prolonged slump in the global economy," Ford CEO Alan Mulally stated. "Our solid product lineup is leading the way in all markets. While we still face a challenging road ahead, our One Ford transformation plan is working and our underlying business continues to grow stronger."

Ford expects its positive cash flow to continue into the fourth quarter.

Ford has announced that it is in negotiations with China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. to sell Volvo. If the deal does go though, Ford has no plans on retaining any ownership of Volvo.

Lewis Booth, Ford Motor Company executive vice president and chief financial officer stated "Ford believes Geely has the potential to be a responsible future owner of Volvo and to take the business forward while preserving its core values and the independence of the Swedish brand. But there is much work that needs to be completed in the more substantive discussions that are agreed to take place. We have no specific timeline to conclude the discussions."

Stephen Odell, Volvo CEO also stated that "Volvo's management team welcomes today's announcement as a positive step forward. At Volvo, we are continuing to keep our attention firmly fixed on engineering and building great Volvo cars, to reduce our cost base and to return the business to sustainable profitability at the earliest possible opportunity."

Motor Trend has announced the list of SUV contenders for its "SUV of the Year" award.

Of course this award is great to whomever wins, due to all of the bragging rights that come along with it. It's usually heavily used in every ad campaign. Last year the Subaru Forester took home the award.

Which SUV do you think should win this year's award?

In July Ford announced that the Mustang would compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series beginning in July 2010. Today we have our first glimpse of the Mustang that will race in the series, which is a collaboration with Roush Fenway Racing and Con-way Freight.

21 year old Colin Braun will drive the No. 16 Con-way Freight Mustang.

"I'm so happy that Con-way Freight decided to move up with me to the Nationwide Series for 2010," Braun said. "They have been a great sponsor for the past two years in the truck series so it means a lot to me that they will continue to support me in the future. I'm also looking forward to driving a Mustang next year. I've always thought they are such incredible cars, but have never owned one. Maybe when I win my first race the guys at Ford will want to give me one of my own."

Ford is expanding its largest recall ever over a faulty switch that has lead to at least 550 vehicle fires and many complaints.

The recall concerns cruise-control deactivation switches, made by Texas Instruments that were installed in 16 million Fords over a decade before Ford stopped using them in 2002. This new announcement of an additional 4.5 million vehicles being recalled brings the total to more than 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period. Part of the recall includes nearly 1.1 million 1995-2003 Ford Windstar vans.

"Ford is making a safety-related defect determination for the Windstar vehicles," James Vondale, director of Ford's automotive safety office, said in the letter. "We have not made a safety-related defect determination for the other vehicles included in this recall, but are including them to avoid any future concerns related to a potential fire risk resulting from the Texas Instruments (switch) either from the agency or from our customers."

The switch that is being recalled deactivates the cruise control once the driver presses down on the brake pedal.

This December we will finally get our first look at the US-spec Ford Fiesta that has been on sale in Europe since last year. We've seen the Fiesta all over the internet, print, television, etc., but those Fiesta's were never US-spec. The Fiesta destined for the US will have a slightly different look thanks to our different crash standards.

The Fiesta is the number two best-selling car in Europe, with almost 340,000 units sold since it was launched last autumn.

The official unveiling of the Fiesta in December marks the culmination of the first phase of the Fiesta Movement, which has led to more than 50,000 hand-raisers for the Fiesta, 97 percent of whom currently do not drive a Ford.

"This is the perfect time to show the North American Fiesta," said Sam De La Garza, Ford Fiesta marketing manager. "The Fiesta Movement will have wrapped up, and after hearing so much about this car leading up to the reveal, everyone will finally get to see what we are so excited about."

The 2011 Fiesta is set to arrive in showrooms by next summer.

Ford officially took the wraps off the 2011 Super Duty at the Texas State Fair. The 2011 Super Duty gets new styling and two new engines, a diesel powered "Scorpion" 6.7L Power-Stroke V8 and a new 6.2L gas powered V8. A new TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission has also been announced.

Ford has yet to release power figures for either engine, but simply states that the diesel engine will be class leading and that the new 6.2L offers more power than the outgoing model.

In addition to the engine upgrades, Ford engineers also improved the ride, handling and steering of the new Super Duty. They optimized the leaf springs and spring rate and the steering gear is new.

The exterior now features a new bold front end with stacked headlights and an enormous Ford logo. Inside there is a new reconfigurable flow-through console and storage space has been increased by 60 percent. There's also a new 4.2-inch LCD Productivity Screen that lets you keep track of what's going on with the truck's technologies.

Ford has unveiled the new Figo for the Indian market.

The new Figo is going to built at manufacturing facility near Chennai, which is currently undergoing a $500 million transformation.

"Our exciting new Ford Figo shows how serious we are about India," Mulally said. "It reflects our commitment to compete with great products in all segments of this car market. We are confident the Ford Figo will be a product that Indian consumers really want and value."

The Figo was designed to compete in India's small car segment, which accounts for 70 percent of the new vehicle market. It shares some of its components with the Ford Fiesta and actually looks quite similar to the last generation Euro-spec Fiesta.

Ford has yet to release the specifics of the Figo.

One of the main criticisms of the new Taurus SHO is that it lacks styling differences from the regular Taurus. Currently the only way a person can tell the difference between the SHO and the lesser powered Taurus is by larger wheels, SHO badging, and a tiny rear spoiler. Well according to a Ford insider this will change for the 2012 model year.

Car and Driver claims that when Ford held focus groups on the level of pizazz that the SHO should receive no consensus was made, so Ford decided to play it safe. Well Ford has decided to make some changes for 2012 that will include more than just new wheels. The insider wouldn't reveal any of the other changes.

Ford decided to not make the changes to the 2011 model, since it would look like Ford made a mistake if it released the changes too soon.

Ford is predicting more demand for bold colors. In the past white and silver have been the top selling colors for new models, but Ford is seeing increased demand for models with brighter, bolder colors.

Two of Ford's current models the Mustang and F-150 SVT have seen increased demand for bold colors like "Grabber Blue" and "Molten Orange." When the 2011 Fiesta launches next summer there will be many bright color options such as "Bright Magenta" and "Lime Squeeze."

"Brilliant colors are transforming the norms in how we think about all sorts of products, allowing people to express individuality more and more through the electronics they use and the cars they drive," said Susan Swek, Ford group chief designer, Color and Materials Design. "Color is a simple way to allow people to add a personal touch to their everyday lives - something that speaks to them and expresses a little of their personality."

Tonight on Jay Leno's new prime time show, the first celebrity, Drew Barrymore will race an all electric Ford Focus in Leno's new segment called "Green Car Challenge." Ford has released photos and specs of the electric Focus that will be featured in the show.

Ford engineers in Dearborn started with a five-door Euro-spec Focus ST and removed the engine and fuel tank. In its place the engineers installed an electric powertrain, which uses a permanent magnetic electric motor that puts out 141 horsepower and 236 lb-ft. of torque. The electric motor gets its power from lithium-ion batteries that are positioned in such a way to give the car near 50-50 weight distribution.

The Focus BEV that is featured on the show gives us a glimpse of the actual production electric Focus that will be available in 2011.

Ford isn't slated to introduce an electric powered Ford Focus until sometime in 2011, but in order to raise interest and public awareness, Ford is going to feature a prototype of the car on Jay Leno's new show.

On September 18th viewers will see Drew Barrymore race an all-electric Ford Focus on Jay Leno's new prime-time show on NBC. Over the next year celebrities will have the chance to race the Focus for the best lap time on the show. It's something similar to what Top Gear does.

Although car buyers can't go buy an electric powered Focus right now, Ford is hoping that this will show the public that electric cars can be exciting.

Nancy Gioia, director of hybrid vehicle programs for Ford stated, "It opens up the dialogue to the next step. Because if (electric cars are) only seen as quirky or off the beaten path, it's really hard to get people" excited.

The electric Ford Focus can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge.

Ford has announced the introduction of the new EcoBoost 4-cylinder engines, which will join the existing 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine. The new turbocharged 4-cyl engines will be available as a 1.6L and 2.0L.

Ford has yet to announce official performance numbers, but the 1.6L is expected to put out around 180 horsepower and 175-180 lb-ft. of torque. The first application of the 1.6L will be in the Ford C-Max in late 2010. The 2.0L will be launched in larger European models and in North America in 2010.

Ford has unveiled the Grand C-Max in Frankfurt, which is a larger version of the 5-seater C-Max. In addition to unveiling the larger 7-seater version, Ford has also announced that the Grand C-Max will be available in North America in late 2011.

The arrival of the Grand C-Max provides a small minivan for Ford. It is slightly larger than the current Mazda 5. The Grand C-Max is the first of a new generation of Ford global C-cars that will be released in the next few years, which includes the next-generation Focus.

"The C-MAX brings more emotive, dynamic design to the segment, along with a great driving experience," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "People will gravitate toward C-MAX for the way it looks and drives, and not just because it's practical and versatile - and that's going to help us reach a whole new group of customers."

Ford has yet to announce if the smaller C-Max will also show up in the U.S.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show this year Ford is going to show off the new C-Max and the extended version shown here, the Grand C-Max. The new C-Max and Grand C-Max are based on Ford's new global C-platform architecture that will also be the basis for the next Focus. The both models will be powered by a new 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder.

The 2010 Grand C-Max looks very similar to its smaller sibling, but has been stretched to accommodate three rows of seats. The extra length also adds sliding rear doors, instead of the conventional rear doors on the C-Max.

Expect more details soon...

A new study by Consumer Reports claims that 81 percent of respondents who stated that they are looking to buy a new car, would consider a domestic brand. This compares to only 47% for an Asian vehicle and 46% for a European brand.

Of course not every domestic automaker is equal. Ford has benefited the most with a 17 percent increase compared to a year ago. GM interest is only up 6 percent, while Chrysler is down 25 percent among new car buyers.

"The Detroit 3 have been in the spotlight all year," said Rik Paul, automotive editor, Consumer Reports. "Ford was the only one of the Detroit 3 that did not seek federal assistance, and this has likely helped bolster its reputation among car buyers."

Out of those surveyed only 9 percent are likely to buy a car in the next year compared to 19 percent a year ago.

It's already known that the 2011 Mustang is set to get engine upgrades to both the V6 and V8 engines. Little details have surfaced until now about how much horsepower we can expect.

A forum member over at The Mustang Source has posted some of what we can expect, hopefully when the 2011 Mustang is released.

First the V6 powered Mustang will see an increase in horsepower to 315 thanks to a new 3.7L (15 more than the Camaro). The V8 powered Mustang GT also gets a horsepower upgrade to 400 thanks to an expected 5.0L Coyote V8. The 5.0L V8 will be mated to a new six-speed manual transmission. Sadly, due to the small horsepower gap between Ford's EcoBoost V6 and the new V8 ( 365 vs 400) it looks like there won't be an EcoBoost V6 powered Mustang.

Let's hope these rumors are true...

The sales numbers for August 2009 are in and thanks to the Cash for Clunkers program sales were up for a few of the automakers. Toyota, Honda and Ford saw sales increase by 10.5%, 14.2% and 17%, respectively. Although GM was down 20.2% and Chrysler by 15%.

The Toyota Camry surpassed the Ford F-Series to become the best selling vehicle in the US last month, although the F-Series also had a good month. New to the list for August was the Hyundai Elantra, likely due to increased sales from the Cash for Clunkers program. The Honda CR-V also made a return this month, surpassing the Ford Escape, which is missing this time.

* Toyota Camry: 54,396
* Ford F-Series: 45,590
* Honda Civic: 43,294
* Toyota Corolla: 43,061
* Honda Accord: 39,726
* Chevy Silverado: 32,421
* Honda CR-V: 30,284
* Nissan Altima: 26,833
* Ford Focus: 25,547
* Hyundai Elantra: 21,673

The sales numbers for last month are just coming in and now we have the list of the top ten best-selling cars.

As expected the Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry are at the top of the list, but the surprises this time can partly be attributed to "Cash for Clunkers." The Ford Focus was the top vehicle chosen by buyers that traded in their old cars, which added it to July's top ten list. The Toyota Prius also makes an appearance at the number 10 spot.

* Ford F-Series: 36,327
* Toyota Camry: 33,974
* Honda Civic: 30,037
* Honda Accord: 29,774
* Toyota Corolla: 29,593
* Chevy Silverado: 27,617
* Ford Focus: 21,830
* Ford Escape: 20,241
* Nissan Altima: 19,252
* Toyota Prius: 19,173

The government's Cash for Clunkers program has definitely given a slight jolt to the automotive industry. In less than a week the program reportedly ran out of funding that was supposed to last until November, but fortunately the government has added more money although who knows how long that will last. In the last week, 47 percent of the sales attributed to the program have gone to the Big 3. Through Saturday afternoon 80,500 transactions had taken place.

In addition to nabbing almost half of the sales, Ford can also be happy knowing that the Ford Focus was the most popular vehicle in the program.

Just as Chrysler's sales improved last month and is now running out of vehicles, Ford's sales also improved due to the Cash for Clunkers gov't program.

Ford has announced that its retail sales improved 9 percent in July thanks to the Cars Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers).

The Ford Fusion saw a 66 percent increase with the Milan up 60 percent. Ford Escape sales were up 94 percent and the Mercury Mariner saw an increase of 71 percent. Focus sales were up 44 percent as well. Ford's hybrid sales were up by 323 percent, which can largely be attributed to the new Fusion hybrid.

"We had another strong month in progress before the 'Cash for Clunkers' program started," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

"Our products, our dealers and our advance preparation enabled us to leverage the program and drive traffic and sales to another level," he added. "In addition, we achieved a sales increase even though we decreased incentive spending in an increasingly competitive environment."

Ford's Lincoln and Mercury brands are expected to get an array of fresh new vehicles to keep Ford's ball rolling. Ford has been focusing much of its energy on small vehicles and the same is going to happen over at Lincoln and Mercury. Sales of the Navigator SUV have dropped significantly and now Ford is looking at developing new Lincoln models built off the same platforms as the Focus and Escape.

Who knows when or if the Navigator will be replaced, but Lincoln could add a third crossover to its lineup that would be smaller than the current MKX and MKT models and based off the next-gen Ford Escape for the 2012 model year. Lincoln is also working on a small compact car that is built on the same platform as the next Focus, but it has yet to receive the green light. Mercury is also expected to get a version of the Focus for 2012.

In 2013 the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKZ are scheduled to move to a new front-wheel-drive platform that is shared with the European Ford Mondeo.

The body-on-frame Mercury Grand Marquis, Mountaineer and Lincoln Town Car are all getting ready to be six feet under...

Sales of the Ford Explorer have dropped significantly to just 78,439 units in 2008, down from over 400K at its peak. Next year Ford is going to release a new Explorer which ditches the current body-on-frame design for a new unibody platform that is shared with the new Taurus. When the new Explorer is released the slow selling Sport Trac version and Mercury Mountaineer will be dead according to the Automotive News. Sales of the Explorer are even worse this year and the Sport Trac and Mountaineer are even lower, which means that Ford can't justify their existence.

Fans of the Sport Trak or Mountaineer better go buy one now before they are gone forever...

Ford has officially announced the introduction of the new 2.0L 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine and that the automaker is expecting a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy as a whole by the end of 2010 versus 2005.

The new 2.0L 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine will be the first EcoBoost engine to include Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) when it is introduced sometime next year. Ford's goal is a 10 to 20 percent fuel economy improvement over larger displacement V6 engines without compromising power. It's expected to have at least 230 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque. Ford hasn't announced which models will receive this engine and surprisingly the first application may not even be in a car. Note that the Explorer America Concept was shown with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine.

The 2010 model year sees the introduction of EcoBoost engines in the Ford Flex, Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS and MKT. Ford expects its to offer EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013.

The current Ford Transit is built in Turkey on a version of the Euro Focus platform. By mid-2012 production of the Transit is expected to move to one of Ford's plants in the U.S.

The next-gen Transit will be built on the new Focus platform that we are expected to get here as well. Production of the Focus and other vehicles on that platform will commence at Ford's Wayne, Michigan and Louisville, Kentucky plants.

Last year Ford built custom Mustang AV8R the for the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Gathering of Eagles festival. The car was auctioned off for the charity for $500,000.

This year Ford has produced another Mustang with the same aviation theme, dubbed the AV-X10 Dearborn Doll. It is based off the 2010 Mustang and features 19" wheels, a rear spoiler, and a lower rear fascia that were all borrowed from the GT500. The glass roof also features a star and bar design.

Under the hood the 4.6L V8 now puts out 550 horsepower thanks to the Ford Racing Performance Parts surpercharger kit. The FR500S exhaust, and FRPP's Handling Pack are also included.

The car will be auctioned off during the 2009 EAA Air Venture in Oshkosh starting next week.

According to a recent Merrill Lynch report Ford is expected to gain market share in the next few years, while its domestic competitors, GM and Chrysler are expected to see declines.

The annual "Car Wars" study from Merrill Lynch claims that Ford's market share could surpass GM's. Over the next three years Ford's share could go up three points to 18 percent, while GM would likely be around 15-16 percent.

"We continue to believe Ford is effectively executing on its restructuring plan, while bolstering liquidity, and view the results of our Car Wars study as further evidence that management is making all of the right moves," Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said in a separate note to clients on Wednesday.

Ford is just about to launch the new Taurus and now comes word that the next Taurus could be built off the same platform as the next Fusion/ Mondeo. Ford is currently working on plans to consolidate three different platforms that are the foundation of the automaker's mid-large size vehicles worldwide.

The next Fusion is expected to use an evolution of the European C/D-class platform which underpins the Ford Mondeo and Galaxy in Europe. The next Taurus could also use a version of this platform, although it would be longer than the Fusion, but smaller than the one that is about to be launched.

If Ford does go ahead with these plans, it would still be a few years off. Ford is currently working on an all-new Explorer that will share the same platform as the Taurus.

GM is also looking at a similar strategy by moving the Chevy Impala to the same platform as the Malibu. Although GM won't confirm it, the automaker is considering moving the Impala to the Epsilon II platform that is expected to be the foundation of the next Malibu.

June 2009 auto sales are just being reported and it looks like the revived Chevy Camaro outsold the also new Ford Mustang. According to GM, the automaker sold 9,320 Camaros, which compares to the 7,632 Mustangs that Ford sold.

GM still has a backlog of 10,000 Camaro orders to fill, so it remains to be seen if the Camaro will continue to outsell the Mustang once all the pre-orders are filled. Just in case you're wondering, Chrysler only managed to sell 1,369 Dodge Challengers last month.

Today is officially the start of July and with that comes the sales numbers for the month of June. While we wait for all the official numbers, here are the top ten best-selling vehicles last month:

* Ford F-Series: 35,915
* Toyota Camry: 26,394
* Chevy Silverado: 24,766
* Honda Accord: 23,995
* Honda Civic: 20,954
* Toyota Corolla: 19,935
* Ford Fusion: 18,561
* Nissan Altima: 16,350
* Ford Escape: 15,385
* Chevy Impala: 14,931

Of course the Ford F-Series continues to dominate the list. Ford as a whole also had the most top models with the F-Series, Fusion and Escape all making the list. Missing from the list is the recently redesigned Dodge Ram.

How sad this 2010 Ford Taurus SHO apparently left the Ford dealership only to return on a flatbed. It's not even on sale yet and apparently it ended up in a three car pile up.

Ford has unveiled the 2010 Ford Mustang with the glass roof option and just in case you're worried about the sun's rays, the roof blocks out 90 percent of UV rays. Ford even claims that roof's UV-filtering capability is equal to wearing SPF 50.

The glass roof option adds another $1,995 to the price of either the V6 Mustang or Mustang GT.

The new 2010 Mustang is just beginning to hit the streets and for most Mustang enthusiasts the current engine lineup leaves much to be desired, especially compared to the new Camaro.

Well before the 2010 Mustang was launched it was stated that the 2011 model would see changes to the engine lineup. Well it is now being confirmed that Ford is working on a new 5.0L V8 that will put out somewhere around 400 horsepower. Codenamed "Coyote", the new V8 will be used in the Mustang and F150 thereby replacing the 4.6L and 5.4L V8s. Ford Australia product development director Russell Christophers has confirmed the existence of the new aluminum double-overhead cam 5.0-liter V8, “I have seen the performance curves and it is a pretty good engine,” he said.

The new V8 will begin appearing in the Mustang and F150 sometime in 2010.

The last Mercury Sable is expected to roll off the production line this Thursday. Even though Ford is releasing an all-new Taurus, Ford decided to not spend the money on a Mercury variant...so we're saying bye bye to the Sable once again.

"The last Sable will roll down the line on Thursday," said Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski.

The death of the Sable leaves Mercury with only four models, the Mariner, Mountaineer, Milan and Grand Marquis. Both the Mountaineer and Grand Marquis are expected to be dead within the next few years. Mercury is supposed to be getting a new small car, even though nothing has been officially confirmed yet.

Ford chose to not develop a new Sable so that they could invest more money in the Taurus.

"They had to make a choice, and their choice is to polish the Blue Oval," Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics said.

Ford has officially announced the debut of the 2010 Lincoln MKS with the new 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine.

The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 puts out 355 horsepower and 350 lb-ft. of torque thanks to direct-injection and twin turbochargers. The EcoBoost V6 gives the Lincoln MKS the power of a normally aspirated 4.6L V8, but without sacrificing fuel economy. The MKS with EcoBoost will get at least 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The 2010 MKS with EcoBoost has standard 19-inch wheels, steering-wheel paddle shifters, all-wheel-drive and adaptive HID headlights. Also included are rain-sensing wipers and a rear-window power shade.

For even more distinction there is the Appearance Package which includes, luxury seats in Sienna with Charcoal Black Tuxedo Seam, illuminated MKS sill plates and upgraded floormats. Outide the package gives you a distinctive grille, front lip spoiler rear fascia lower, side rockers and door cladding, decklid lip spoiler with chrome insert and modified MKS decklid badge ("S" in red).

Ford has announced a new series of safety testing that the automaker is using to evaluate the the sensitivity of new air bag pressure sensors being introduced on the new 2009 F-150 and 2010 Taurus.

The new "extreme" testing involves ramming shopping carts into car doors and blasting water cannons. The new airbag sensors being used in the new F-150 and 2010 Taurus use pressure-based sensors rather than acceleration-based sensors to determine the severity of a crash. The new sensors perform better in crash tests and are less likely to be effected by vehicle design differences.

Since engineers were worried that everyday mishaps could trick the new sensors, Ford's engineers came up with came up with tests like a shopping cart loaded with a 110 pound weight that was rammed into the car at 10 mph.

Ford is recalling 8,735 2009 Ford F-150 trucks to fix an issue with the brake lights.

According to NHTSA the issue has to do with the brake stop lamp switch and in some situations of very mild braking, the brake stop lamps may not illuminate. Dealers have been instructed to inspect the affected vehicles and to reinstall the brake stop lamp switch free of charge.

The deal between Fiat and Chrysler could mean that Ford could eventually bring its small Ka to the US.

The Ford Ka and Fiat 500 are built on the same platform that as developed by Fiat. Currently there are plans for Fiat to build the 500 at one of Chrysler's North American plants, when the vehicle eventually goes on sale here. Chrysler also wants a small car that would share the same underpinnings as the 500 and Ka. Since US car buyers historically like larger cars, the only way to make a profit would be to some how manage to sell more of them and bringing the Ford Ka here could help achieve that goal. By building three cars all built on the same platform in the US, costs could be more evenly spread out. This would provide more fuel for the business case to bring the little Ka here since the vehicle could actually be profitable.

There is no word yet on if Ford does indeed plan on bringing the Ka here. If the Ka did come here, it would be one of the smallest vehicles on the road, since its only marginally bigger than the Smart ForTwo.

Ford has announced plans to turn its former Michigan truck plant into a more modern small car production facility.

Ford is going to invest $550 million in the Michigan Assembly Plant to transform it into a "lean, green and flexible" plant that will build the next-generation global Ford Focus and a new battery-electric version for the North American market. The new Focus is set to start production next year and the all-electric Focus will debut in 2011.

Formerly the plant was the production site for the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.

This past weekend a team of Ford drivers sought out to drive 1,000 miles in a 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid on a single tank of gas. Well it looks like they succeeded.

The drivers passed the 1,000 mile marker Monday morning and still managed to have more than a third of a tank of gas left. In total the drivers managed to get 1445.7 miles on a single tank, which averaged 81.5 mpg.

The event also raised more than $8,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Ford has announced a team of drivers that will attempt to drive more than 1,000 miles in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on a single tank of gas.

The team will drive more than 1,000 miles for more than 43 continuous hours on a single tank to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The drivers consist of Ford engineers, Wayne Gerdes and the NASCAR star Carl Edwards. The drivers will have to average at least 57 mpg in order to reach their goal. During preliminary testing engineers reached as much as 70 mpg in the Fusion Hybrid.

The 1,000-Mile Challenge starts at around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, from Mount Vernon, Va., and ends the morning of Monday, April 27, in Washington, D.C.

Ford has released a new study today that claims that the automaker's initial quality is better than Honda and that it is now in a tie with Toyota.

According to the 2009 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) survey conducted quarterly for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Ford is now statistically tied with Toyota at the top of the industry in initial vehicle quality.

The survey measured two things, the number of things gone wrong and customer satisfaction with vehicle quality over the first three months of ownership.

Ford's initial quality has improved five percent over last year.

Of course March sales were down last month compared to March 2008 with GM down 45 percent. For the most part most of the major automakers posted a better month than February, but the sales were still dismal.

Here's the list of the top ten best-selling vehicles last month. Of course most of the same models are listed:

-Ford F-Series: 32,728
-Toyota Camry: 25,783
-Chevy Silverado: 23,508
-Honda Accord: 22,722
-Toyota Corolla: 22,257
-Honda Civic: 20,645
-Nissan Altima: 19,521
-Dodge Ram: 19,328
-Chevy Malibu: 14,772
-Honda CR-V: 12,959

Ford has released the official specs for the 2010 Shelby GT500.

The 2010 Shelby GT500 now puts out an additional 40 horsepower and 30 lb-ft. of torque from its 5.4L DOHC V8 (540 HP and 510 lb-ft.). In addition the new Shelby GT500 now gets an additional 2 mpg on the highway compared to the old model (14 mpg city, 22 mpg highway). Ford made the top gears taller in order to squeeze out more mpg.

Ford also points out that there were improvements to the twin-disk clutch system on the 6-speed manual transmission. Basically the twin disks are now larger and made of copper and fiberglass.

"If you went with one disk, the torque output of the 2010 Shelby GT500 would require that disk to be very large," said Baldori. "The twin-disk system allows us to get the required surface area in a smaller package. Having two disks also lowers the inertia compared with one large disk, which improves drivability."

All these improvements allow the Shelby GT500 to reach 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds and 0-100 mph in 9.4 seconds.

Just like Hyundai a few months ago and GM will start next month, Ford has also launched a new plan to improve consumer confidence and hopefully spark sales.

The Ford Advantage Plan will cover a buyer's vehicle payments for up to 12 months if there is a job loss (up to $700 a month). In addition Ford is also offering zero percent interest on many of its vehicles. Lastly Ford is also working with dealers throughout the country to assist local charities impacted by the economic downturn.

The Ford Advantage Plan starts today and runs until June 1, 2009.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has launched a new roof strength rating system and has chosen to put 12 small SUVs up to the test.

More than 10,000 people are killed a year in rollovers and SUVs rank higher compared to cars and minivans.

In the Institute's roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating, the roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle's weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is poor.

Only 4 of the small SUVs earned the top rating of good: VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda Element and Jeep Patriot. the VW Tiguan had the strongest roof out of all the SUVs tested. The Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and Mitsubishi Outlander are rated acceptable. Roofs on the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape are marginal, and the Kia Sportage received a poor rating.

Ford has announced the pricing for the redesigned 2010 Lincoln MKZ.

The 2010 Lincoln MKZ now features more standard features and starts at $34,965. The MKZ now comes standard with Bridge Weir leather seats, genuine wood trim, heated and cooled front seats, the popular SYNC entertainment and connectivity system, a reverse sensing system and driver multi-adjustable power seat.

The MKZ is also available with the Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert.

"Customers universally are surprised when they get into a competing vehicle and find out that they have to pay more for luxury features, such as premium leather seats," said Jonathan Richards, Lincoln MKZ Marketing manager. "That's what sets the MKZ apart from the competition. It comes standard with all the features you would expect from a world class entry-level luxury sedan."

The front-wheel-drive MKZ starts at $34,965 and the all-wheel-drive version starts at $36,855.

Ford has announced the pricing for the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan at $19,995 and $21,205, respectively.

The front-wheel-drive Fusion S features a 2.5L four-cylinder engine and starts at $19,995. The top Fusion Sport with its 263 HP 3.5L V6 starts at $25,825 for the FWD models and $27,675 for the AWD model.

The new Fusion Hybrid starts at $27,995 and gets 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.

Ford is going to unveil the iosis MAX Concept at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow.

The iosis MAX Concept previews the design of Ford's next generation global C-car family, which includes the Focus and C-Max. Ford has already announced that the next-generation Focus will be the same model sold in Europe and North America. The C-Max MPV could also eventually make it to the US.

The concept is powered by a 1.6L EcoBoost four-cylinder that puts out 178 horsepower thanks to turbocharging and direct injection. The engine is mated to a dual-clutch transmission. This engine could eventually makes its way into the next Focus.

Ford's Romeo Engine plant has produced its 10 millionth engine. The plant has been producing V8 engines since it was converted from a tractor plant in 1990. In 1990 it produced a 4.6L two-valve V8.

The 10 millionth engine was a 4.6L 3-valve V8 that will find its way under the hood of a 2010 Mustang GT.

Romeo now produces engines for the Ford F-150, Mustang, Shelby GT500, Explorer, E-Series van, Crown Victoria, and the Mercury Grand Marquis.

Ford has officially announced the pricing for the all-new 2010 Ford Mustang.

Pricing for the 2010 Ford Mustang will start at $20,995 for the base Mustang with the 210 horsepower 4.0L V6. The Mustang undercuts its two main competitors with the Camaro starting at $22,995 and the Challenger SE at $22,545.

Moving up to the Mustang GT with its 315 horsepower 4.6L V8 will cost you $27,995, which is also less than the V8 powered versions of the Camaro and Challenger.

The ultimate Mustang, the GT500 starts at $46,325 and features a 540 horsepower 5.4L V8.

A droptop will add an additional $5k.

All the months of speculation can now end...Ford has officially unveiled the 2010 Taurus SHO at the Chicago Auto Show.

The first Taurus SHO debuted in 1989 and after three generations it was killed 10 years later, but now its back and better than ever. The new Taurus SHO builds upon the recently unveiled Taurus, but features much more power thanks to the 365 horsepower EcoBoost V6 under the hood. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and all-wheel-drive is standard.

The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO will be available this summer wit a starting price of $37,995.

Ford has unveiled the 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson edition, which marks the 14th Harley-Davidson edition of the F-150.

The exterior of the 2010 F-150 Harley Davidson edition features a bold front fascia and six-bar shaped billet style grille and boasts specialized forged aluminum and Harley-Davidson® chrome badging. The truck is available either in Lava or the same Tuxedo Black. 22-inch wheels are also standard.

The truck is powered by a 5.4L V8 that puts out 320 horsepower and 390 lb-ft. of torque.

Pricing has yet to be announced.

The sales numbers from last month have been released and they are not good. Nearly every major automaker was down in January compared to January 08'.

Chrysler lead the pact with a 55 percent drop last month. GM's sales were off by 49 percent and Ford declined 40 percent.

Japan's major automakers didn't escape the dismal auto sales with Toyota being down 32 percent, Nissan's sales were down 30 and Honda's were off by 28 percent.

The news wasn't bad for everyone though with Subaru posting an 8 percent increase, its second month in the row of sales increases. Hyundai also posted a 14 percent sales increase. Hyundai attributed its sales improvement to its new program which will take a owner's car back if they lose their job in the first 12 months of ownership.

"This program gets to the root cause of today's economic concerns — fear of job loss," Hyundai regional general manager Peter DiPersia said in a statement.

Ford has announced that the new 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids are now eligible for a $3,400 tax credit.

The $3,400 tax credit is the highest credit amount offered for a hybrid since the end of 2005.

The Fusion and Milan Hybrids have been rated at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which is better than its closest competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

If you are planning on buying one of Ford's newest hybrids you better do it before March 31, 2009 because after that the tax credit will be cut in half.

Ford officially unveiled the all-new 2010 Taurus at the Detroit Auto Show this week and now we have a new clue that a "performance" version is next to be unveiled.

Ford launched a brand new Taurus website. On the gallery page there is a small amount of text that says "Coming February 2009...Performance Series." Could this be a more powerful version of the Taurus with the new EcoBoost V6? It remains to be seen, but since the Chicago Auto Show is next month, we expect to see something there.

Ford has announced the pricing for the 2010 Lincoln MKT, which was officially unveiled a few days ago at the Detroit Auto Show.

The 2010 Lincoln MKT starts at $44,995 for the base V6 with front-wheel-drive. Add $5k to the base MKT for the EcoBoost V6 and all-wheel-drive. If you don't want the EcoBoost engine, but all-wheel-drive and the base 3.7L V6 it will cost you $46,990.

If you want even more from your MKT there is the Elite Package for an extra $5k, which includes: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Warning with Brake Support, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS™), Cross Traffic Alert, Voice-activated Navigation, Power-opening Panoramic Vista Roof.

A fully optioned MKT with the 355 horsepower EcoBoost engine and all-wheel-drive will cost around $55,000.

The 2010 Lincoln MKT will be in dealer showrooms in late summer 2009.

Ford is eager to launch its new Fiesta subcompact in the US and to get the ball rolling, Ford has announced the "Fiesta Movement."

What is the Fiesta Movement? To launch the Fiesta in the US, Ford is going to be giving away 100 Fiestas to 100 lucky people. Each tech savvy person will have the car for six months and will be able to share their experiences with the car on social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.

Ford has announced the 2010 Lincoln MKS with the much anticipated 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine.

The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 officially puts out 355 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Even with those numbers it is estimated to get 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. With the EcoBoost engine, the MKS has more power and better fuel economy than the Lexus GS460 and Infiniti M45.

Ford has officially announced the pricing for the all-new 2010 Taurus that will be in showrooms by this summer.

The 2010 Taurus starts at $25,995, which is the same price as the 2009 model.

Ford likes to point out that although the new Taurus starts at the same price as the outgoing model, it now has more standard features and new technologies.

The 2010 Taurus comes standard with Ford's 3.5L V6 that can be mated to two different six-speed transmissions.

The Taurus SEL series will begin at $27,995 and the Taurus Limited series will begin at $31,995.

Ford has officially announced that plans for rear wheel drive Ford and Lincoln sedans have been shelved.

Ford design chief J Mays told Automotive News on Sunday, "It's out of the cycle plan."

"We've got other priorities at the moment," Mays said. "We're going down a path right now that is all about fuel efficiency, and we've got a lot to do about that. So we're not talking about rear-wheel drive."

A year ago Ford announced plans to work with Ford's Australian arm to develop a new, large RWD platform that would yield sedans in the US. The first sedans were expected by 2013.

Ford has debuted the 2010 Lincoln MKT, which is Lincoln's version of the Ford Flex.

The three-row MKT is available with either a 268 horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 or Ford's new 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine that puts out 355 horsepower and 350 lb-ft. of torque. Both engines are mated to six-speed automatic transmission. AWD is available on the 3.7L and standard with the EcoBoost engine.

The MKT can fit either six or seven passengers with two different seating configurations.

The 2010 Lincoln MKT will be available this summer.

Ford has officially unveiled the all-new 2010 Ford Taurus that makes its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

The 2010 Ford Taurus receives all-new styling inside and out that is far more interesting to look at than the current generation. Ford describes the styling of the new Taurus as a combination of style with substance, just like the original Taurus back in 1986.

The new Taurus is powered by a 263 horsepower 3.5L V6 that is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. FWD is standard and all-wheel-drive is optional. The 3.5 EcoBoost engine is also planned at a later date for the Taurus. A two-speed fuel pump and Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-Off technology help the Taurus achieve best in class gas mileage.

There are also many new technological features available on the new Taurus such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start,
SecuriCode™ Keyless Entry Keypad and MyKey.

The all-new Taurus will be available this summer at starting price of $25,995, which is the same starting price as the 2009 model.

Ford is on a roll with the new Fusion. The new Fusion Hybrid gets better gas mileage than the Camry Hybrid and now the 4-cylinder Fusion officially gets the highest mpg in its class.

The EPA has officially certified the four-cylinder Fusion at 34 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in the city. Those numbers beat all the Fusion's competitors (Camry, Accord, Altima, Malibu, etc.).

The Fusion S is powered by a 175 horsepower 2.5L engine that is mated to a six-speed transmission.

The 2010 Ford Fusion will be on sale this spring.

The 2009 Ford F-150 has just received the government's highest crash test rating, 5-stars making it the only full size truck to recieve top ratings by NHTSA and the IIHS.

The new F-150 features more standard safety features such as Safety Canopy® side curtain air bags, AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) and a patented "K-bag" seat-mounted air bag, which helped the truck receive 5-stars in front and side impact testing.

In addition to holding the title of the safest full-size pickup, the 2009 F-150 is also Motor Trend's Truck of the Year.

2008 is finally over and with it ends one of the worst years for the automotive industry in recent history. Most of 2008 was plagued by high fuel prices, which forced buyers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles. Even with this trend the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado pickups managed to remain at the top of the list for 2008.

In addition, even though buyers continued to ask for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic were the only "small" cars to make the list.

Ford has announced its new "active park assist" system that is optional on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and the new Lincoln MKT crossover.

With the touch of a button the Active Park Assist system uses an ultrasonic-based sensing system and Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) to parallel park the vehicle without any assistance from the driver. There are sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle to help the system guide the vehicle into the driver's desired parking spot. Ford claims that its system is better than what is offered by Lexus since it requires less driver interface.

The Active Park Assist system will be available in mid-2009 on the Lincoln MKT and MKS. Ford hasn't stated what vehicles are next in line for the technology. Instead only mentioning that the system will be on 90 percent of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles by 2012.

Ford officially unveiled the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid at the LA Auto Show last month. At the time it was estimated that the Fusion Hybrid would get better gas mileage than its closest competitor, the Camry Hybrid. Well the EPA has officially rated the Fusion Hybrid at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. Those numbers beat the Camry Hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.

Those numbers mean that the Fusion Hybrid is now the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan.

The Fusion Hybrid is powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that is mated to an electric motor. The electric motor is powerful enough to propel the car to speeds up to 47 mpg without the assistance of the gas engine.

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid will be available this coming spring.

Since Congress was unable to come to an agreement about a bailout for the U.S. automakers, President George W. Bush has approved $17.4 billion in emergency loans to the U.S. automakers. The loans are needed to help save hundreds of thousands of jobs and prevent GM and Chrysler from going bankrupt.

GM and Chrysler are expected to dip into the money immediately, while Ford claims that its liquidity is adequate for now and does not need a bailout loan.

"If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers," Bush said.

President elect Barack Obama also supports the loans to the automakers.

Although the loans are going to help GM and Chrysler survive, the loans will only get them through until March of next year.

Motor Trend has announced the recipient of its 2009 Truck of the Year award and this year the redesigned 2009 Ford F150 receives the award.

This year there were only 4 contenders for the award, the Ford F150, also redesigned Dodge Ram, Suzuki Equator and HUMMER H3T. Basically the choice for Motor Trend's editors was between the F150 and Ram since the Equator is basically a rebadged Nissan Frontier and well the H3T is....you fill in the blank.

Editors praised the new F150 for having low noise levels and high interior quality materials. Other standouts were the new features like the Tailgate Step, Box Side Step, and a stowable bed-extender helped the F150 receive the award.

Ford has yet to release its much talked about V6 EcoBoost engine, but sources say that Ford is already putting the finishing touches on a new 2.0L 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine. It is expected that the Fusion will get the new engine in 2010.

Ford's new EcoBoost engines combine turbo-charging and direct injection technology to produce more horsepower from a smaller engine. The first EcoBoost engine is a 3.5L V6 that will be launched next summer in the 2010 Lincoln MKS.

Ford claims that it is too early to discuss the specifics of the new 4-cylinder engine, but that it will deliver the fuel economy that customers demand without sacrificing power. Which according to Product analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics LLP in Birmingham, the four-cylinder engine should deliver power equal to a V6 engine, but with better fuel economy.

A final decision from the U.S. government about the loans for the U.S. automakers is expected anytime now, but it's expected that the final amount will only be between $15-17 billion. Which is much less than the original $34 billion the automakers were asking for. To help raise more money, the automakers are now asking the Canadian government for $6.8 billion. The Big 3 employ about 100,000 workers in Canada.

“North American economic conditions now make it necessary for us to seek government assistance to sustain our business and supply chain,” said Arturo Elias, president of General Motors Canada.

Ward’s Automotive Group has announced its 2009 10 Best Engines list.

The list is compiled by Ward's editors and 2009 is officially the 15th year of the Ward’s 10 Best Engines program.

This year the list of winners is very broad with hybrid engines as well as high output turbocharged engines receiving the award.

“A decade ago, few consumers in the U.S. paid serious attention to hybrids or diesels. This year, they have to, if they don’t want to be pinched the next time fuel hits $4 a gallon,” says Tom Murphy, executive editor of Ward’s AutoWorld magazine.”The diesels from VW and BMW and the Ford Escape Hybrid all got better than 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) during our testing, and often they topped 40 mpg (5.8 L/100 km),” he says. “And the diesels meet the strictest emissions regulations in the world. If Americans want to find a vehicle that consumes less fuel and is fun to drive, our list is a great place to start.”

Times are tough for the Big 3 and each automaker is trying to figure out ways to raise revenue. Ford announced today that the automaker is reevaluating its options for the Volvo brand.

Ford is being forced to reconsider selling Volvo dues to the significant economic decline in the last few months. Ford says it's going to be a few months before Ford makes a decision about Volvo. In the meantime Ford is going to work with Volvo to allow it to operate on a more stand-alone basis.

Ford has officially unveiled the redesigned 2010 Ford Fusion at the LA Auto Show.

For 2010 the Fusion gets all-new styling inside and out (looks much better). In addition there are now three available gas engines and a new hybrid Fusion. The available gas engines range are the 2.5L 4-cylinder (175hp), 3.0L V6 (240hp) and a new 3.5L V6 (263hp) in the Fusion Sport. All three of the engines are mated to six-speed transmissions.

Inside there are new features such as Ford's SYNC system, SIRIUS TravelLink, and BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert.

The redesigned 2010 Fusion will be available in the spring of 2009.

Just like the Ford Fusion, the Fusion's sister the Mercury Milan also gets a long list of changes for the 2010 model year. This includes new styling inside and out, upgraded engines and a new hybrid model.

The Milan makes due with only two gasoline engines, the 2.5L and 3.0L, unfortunately the 263hp 3.5L V6 is only available in the Fusion Sport. The Milan Hybrid is identical to the Fusion Hybrid and will be able to go up to 47 mph on electricity alone. Ford also predicts that the Fusion and Milan Hybrids will get better gas mileage than the Camry Hybrid.

The 2010 Mercury Milan will hit showrooms in spring 2009.

Ford unveiled the Ford Fiesta sedan at the Guangzhou Auto Show today.

The Fiesta sedan is going to be sold here in the U.S. and will be built at Ford's plant in Mexico alongside the 3 and 5-door versions of the Fiesta.

Ford claims that the Fiesta sedan will not be available in Europe.

Ford has announced that it has sold off 20 percent of its stake in Mazda.

Ford's stake in Mazda has been reduced from 33.4 percent to just over 13 percent. This is part of Ford's plan to raise more money as the sale of the shares gives Ford an extra $540 million. The shares were bought back by Mazda and Mazda's strategic business partners.

Ford has officially taken the wraps off its all-new 2010 Ford Mustang.

The new Mustang features all-new styling that continues to draw cues from the original Mustangs and is more of a evolutionary redesign as it doesn't stray far from the design of the current generation.

The new Mustang will be offered in coupe, convertible or a coupe with a glass roof. V6 and V8 powered models will continue to be offered as well. The 4.6L V8 in the GT sees a modest power increase to 315 horsepower.

We only a few more hours until all the photos of the all-new 2010 Ford Mustang will hit the web, but Ford has already unveiled the new Mustang on its website.

Here are a few photos and more details about what we can expect to read soon. Head over to Ford's site to see the Mustang in motion and come back here in a few hours to see all the official photos.

Today Congress is meeting to discuss the details of the $25 billion bailout plan for U.S. automakers. Debates are going back and forth from both sides on how to solve this problem. Some senators are now even saying that the CEO's of the Big 3 should consider stepping down from their positions if that is what it will take for Congress to approve the plan.

During an interview yesterday on NBC’S “Meet the Press”, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin stated I’d be happy to tell (GM CEO) Rick Wagoner that he ought to consider resigning if that is the difference between getting this kind of support and not. If it was the difference between getting this kind of support or not, obviously the management should consider resigning."

Ford is going to officially debut the all-new Mustang this week at the LA Auto Show, but some of the pricing details have already leaked.

If the info leaked today is correct the 2010 GT with the Premium package will start at $30,095, which is inline with the pricing for the Camaro and Challenger. Some of the features included in this package are the 4.6L OHC 3V V8 Engine, SYNC system, 18″ wheels, shaker 500 audio, ambient lighting, bright aluminum accent dash, pedal covers, scuff plate & shift knob and 6-gauge cluster with MyColor.

GM has put together an informational video of what it predicts will happen if the Big Three automakers all fail next year.

Some highlights:
-If all three fail next year it will result in 3 million U.S. jobs lost in the first year
-Total governement tax loss over three years = $156.4 billion
-The U.S. GDP would drop 4 percent, compare that to the fact that the current economic downturn was caused by a .3 percent drop
-One out of every ten jobs in the U.S. relies on the U.S. auto industry

Teaser photos are ok when an automaker releases one or two right before the actual vehicle is unveiled, but when Ford decided to release ten separate teaser photos of the 2010 Mustang over a series of weeks, it got a little annoying.

Either way here is the last teaser photo which shows the design of the taillights. The 2010 Mustang will officially be unveiled in a week at the LA Auto Show.

Stay tuned...

Here's a quick video that Ford has created to show how its voice-activated SYNC system works.

ROUSH has unveiled the 2009 P-51B Mustang, which is based on the 2009 Ford Mustang chassis.

The P-51B Mustang is powered by Ford's 4.6L V8 that puts out 510 horsepower and 510 lb-ft. of torque. In order to get this much power ROUSH engineers replaced many of the engine's components with stronger parts. ROUSH also upgraded the clutch. 6-piston brakes, Cooper RS3 ultra-high performance tires and the ROUSH Stage 3 suspension were also added to the car.

Only 51 units are going to be produced with a starting price of $65,800.

Ford has announced that the all-new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid will be the first ever hybrid pace car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Sport will both make their debut at the race. Both vehicles will be camouflaged in NASCAR-inspired camouflage during the race. The Fusion Hybrid will lead the field to the green flag and the Fusion Sport will remain the pace car for the rest of the race.

Ford has officially unveiled the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The SVT Raptor starts with the new 2009 F-150 and adds a unique grille and a body that is seven inches wider. In addition the suspension has been upgraded with new upper and lower A arms, upgraded tie rods, new half shaft joints, and shocks from Fox Racing.

The standard engine in the SVT Raptor is the F-150's proven 5.4-liter Triton V8 three-valve engine, which delivers 320 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. A new 6.2L V8 engine will be available after launch.

Ford recently unveiled the all-new Ka subcompact in Europe. Last month Ford's CEO told reporters that the automaker is re-thinking the idea of bringing the small car to the U.S.

Ford has made a commitment to small cars in the U.S. with its upcoming Fiesta and new Focus. The Ka is smaller than the Fiesta. Mulally recently told the Automotive News that the Ka might eventually be sold on our shores, but that Ford needs to figure out a way to make a profit on it.

Yesterday Ford officially unveiled the new 2010 Ford Fusion with a new face and new engines. Today we have more information about the hybrid versions of the Fusion and Mercury Milan.

The biggest news about the new hybrids is that they will have the ability to reach speeds up to 47 mph on the electric motor alone. The hybrids will also be able to travel up to 8 miles before the gas motor kicks in. Ford calls the two hybrids their most technologically advanced production vehicles ever made.

Ford has officially taken the wraps off the new 2010 Ford Fusion sedan.

The new Fusion gets new styling with a much more appealing front end and new more powerful engines.

First the 2010 Ford Fusion gets new and upgraded engines. The base engine is now the same 2.5L 4-cyl that is in the Escape. It puts out 175 horsepower and is expected to return better mpg on the highway than the Accord and Camry. The 3.0L V6 has been upgraded and now puts out 19 more horsepower (240 hp) and the top of the line new 3.5L V6 puts out 263 horsepower in the Fusion Sport model. All of the engines are mated to six-speed transmissions.

Ford recently launched its "box on wheels" crossover the Flex, but sales have fallen short of expectations.

Of course much of the blame for the slow sales can be blamed on the horrible economy, but Ford also feels that its current marketing for the Flex has failed to spark any interest in the vehicle. Ford Motor Co.'s new sales and marketing chief, Jim Farley devised an unorthodox marketing campaign for the new Flex, but Ford execs feel a more mainstream approach would work better.

Sales of the Flex have been averaging a very low 2,000 per month, which if this trend continues will only amount to 24,000 units. Ford originally planned on selling 100,000 units per year.

According to analyst Jim Hossack of AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, Calif., "The market is part of it, but it's more than the market," he said. "There is a problem. The amount of marketing is part of it -- there's too little of it -- and the execution is part of it."

Farley defended his ads by claiming that the Flex is winning over converts from other brands at a higher rate than Ford expected.

What about the styling of the Flex is it too polarizing?

Earlier this year there were rumors that Ford was thinking about selling Volvo, but those rumors were quickly denied. Now rumors are circulating again that Ford is now talking to BMW about Volvo.

TimesOnline is claiming that Ford is in preliminary talks with BMW to sell its stake in Volvo. Of course sources are claiming that there were talks even though both automakers are denying it.

It was also rumored two years ago that Ford was in talks with BMW about Jaguar and Land Rover although both brands were eventually sold to Tata of India.

We only have a few weeks left to go until Ford officially unveils the 2010 Ford Mustang at the LA Auto Show next month. Ford has released numerous teaser photos of the new car, which we're all tired of, but now we have the best spy photos yet of the car.

Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for the official unveiling in a few weeks...the show is actually on November 19th.

Today the Dow dropped below 9,000 points, its lowest point in five years.

Just as the rest of the market, GM and Ford have been hit hard by the decline. GM's dropped 31 percent and ended the day at $4.76, while Ford dropped 22 percent to $2.08. Yes that means that a single share of Ford stock is currently cheaper than a gallon of gas. Also GM's shares haven't been this low since the 1950's.

When will it all end?

In just over a month Ford is going to officially unveil the 2010 Ford Mustang, but for now Ford has released another teaser photo of the dashboard.

The overall shape of the dashboard is similar to that of the 2009 model. We're still waiting to see what changes have been made to the center console.

Stay tuned.

Ford has announced the MyKey system that helps parents ensure that teens drive safer.

Ford's new MyKey system allows parents to limit the speed and audio volume of their teen's car to make them drive safer. The system will debut as standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and will eventually be added to other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.

Yesterday Ford announced that the slow-selling 2009 Ford Flex would have an available $2,500 rebate to help move them off the lots. The Mazda CX-9 has also failed to reach the top in sales either, but Consumer Reports has announced that both vehicles are one of the top five three-row SUVs they tested.

“Ford’s new Flex wraps a versatile, cavernous interior in a distinctly boxy styling,” the magazine writes. “It is also lower and more wagon-like than the others in this class.”

Ford introduced the world to the all-new Ka subcompact at the 2008 Paris Motor Show last week. At first Ford said that there were no plans to bring the Ka to the US, but the increased demand for small cars has forced Ford to rethink that decision.

The all-new Ka features Ford's European Kinetic Design that is similar to the larger Fiesta and Focus. This morning CEO Alan Mulally told a Detroit radio station that Ford is rethinking the original decision to not bring the Ka to the US.

The Ka goes on sale in Europe in early 2009. If Ford does decide to bring the small car here, don't count on it before 2011.

Ford has announced the changes to the 2009 Lincoln Navigator SUV.

First Ford has improved the Navigator's fuel economy to 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway for 4x2 models. Ford achieved these results by using software to shut off the fuel supply to the engine during deceleration, similar to the 2009 F-150 SFE. The Navigator is powered by a 300 horsepower 5.4L V8 that is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Ford has announced the pricing for the all-new 2009 Ford F-150.

Ford has announced today more details about the all-new 2009 F-150 and the new F-150 SFE.

Last week teaser shots of the 2010 Ford Mustang were released and today we have another shot of the dash and part of the interior.

Lincoln has already confirmed that the Ford Flex based MKT has received the green light for production. Well the production version of the MKT concept is set for a debut next January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Following yesterday's most revealing spy photos yet of the 2010 Ford Mustang, we now have a few teaser shots of the new Mustang.

A reader over at Jalopnik sent in a few photos of the 2010 Ford Mustang with most of its leathery camo removed.

Yes..yes. The Ford Mustang is following in the Camaro's footsteps with the number of spy photos that have shown up, but at least these shots are not just of the hood like last week. :P

Ford's product development chief Derrick Kuzak recently sat down with the Automotive News and revealed that Ford may add a new smaller vehicle to the Lincoln lineup.

Yesterday Ford released an official photo of the new pony emblem on the 2010 Ford Mustang. Now today we have an un-official photo of the hood of the new Mustang.

Ford has unveiled the badge for the new 2010 Mustang.

Ford has announced today plans to convert its Michigan truck plant into a plant for its new global C-cars.

Lincoln has confirmed the production of the MKT crossover for 2010.

Ford has officially started production of the 2009 Ford Fiesta in Cologne, Germany today.

For years automakers have claimed that small cars equal small profits, which explains their focus on bigger more profitable vehicles. Well now that large vehicles are out, automakers are trying to go small without killing their profits. Ford is hoping that its new "global" Focus will deliver double digit percentage profit improvements compared to the current US-spec Focus.

Ford has set the goal of launching its newest small cars with the highest quality ever in its attempt to challenge Toyota.

According to The Detroit News, Ford is planning on reducing the production of the Taurus X and Mercury Sable by half starting next year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given the all-new 2009 Ford Flex a 5-star front and side impact crash test rating highest, its highest possible score.

Ford has officially taken the wraps off the all-new 2009 Ford Ka that is going to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this fall.

The first image of Ford's all-new 2009 Ka has leaked onto the internet.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released the results of its first ever side crash testing of five small pickup trucks.

Earlier this week Ford gave spectators their first look at the new 2010 Ford Mustang, although it was heavily camouflaged.

According to sources that spoke with the guys over at PickupTrucks.com, Ford is considering an EcoBoost four-cylinder for the F150.

According to Motor Trend, Ford is working on a Fusion GT that will be released in late 2009 or early 2010.

Full-size truck sales have tanked this year thanks to the high gas prices. So Ford may extend the life of its very old compact Ranger truck another two years.

Insane gas prices and declining truck sales have prompted Ford to rethink its plans for its large trucks and SUVs. Ford told suppliers last week to stop work on a 6.2L V8 engine that was going to go into the new F-Series pickups.

Ford has already confirmed plans to bring the all-new Fiesta to the US that will compete with the Fit, Yaris and Versa. But now the automaker has also confirmed that the next-gen European Focus will also be sold on our shores.

Gas prices have been killing truck sales. Last month the Ford F-Series lost its sales crown to not one, but four more fuel-efficient cars. Because of this Ford is delaying the launch of the all-new 2009 F-150.

Ford has announced plans to temporarily shut down the Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne that currently produces the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.

Ford is finally listening and bringing its European models to the US. First we will get the all-new Fiesta, then the next Focus and eventually the Mondeo is going to come here as the next Taurus, according to CAR.

Yesterday the sales numbers for May were released and they weren't pretty. The Ford F-Series trucks moved from the typical number one spot all the way down to number 5. Ford's SUV and truck sales declined 44 percent in May. To counter the slipping sales Ford is going to offer its "Employee Pricing" on the F-150, F-250 or the F-350 until June 30th.

Gas prices are so insane right now and car buyers are finally realizing they can't afford to drive those huge gas guzzlers anymore. The F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the US for decades, but its reign at the top is soon over. Last month it moved down to the number five spot behind the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

With gas prices the way the are, small is quickly becoming the new black. Everything is downsizing. Driving a large car is so "un-cool" now. Ford knows this and is going to make its next-generation 2010 Mustang look smaller.

The 2009 Lincoln MKS was officially unveiled earlier this year and isn't going on sale until later this month, but that hasn't stopped Lincoln from selling 8,600 of the new sedans.

Ford unveiled the all-new Fiesta hatchback earlier this year. At the time Ford confirmed that a version of the Fiesta would indeed reach our shores, but it was expected to only be a sedan version of the small car. Now Ford has confirmed that the US is also going to get a hatchback to go along with the sedan when the Fiesta arrives in 2010.

Jay Leno recently described what he feels is plaguing American automakers, poor quality economy cars.

Ford has already announced plans to bring the all-new Ford Fiesta to the US by 2010. The Fiesta is going to be the first of the European Fords that will finally make the trek over to the US.

Ford released an new Ford Focus for the 2008 model year, but when the car was first unveiled it received enough criticism to force the automaker to tweak the final product before it hit dealer showrooms. Well it looks like Ford has added more tweaks to the Focus for the 2009 model year.

Full-size truck sales have dropped off considerably due to the high gas prices and declining housing market in the US. Gas prices alone have pushed many buyers into smaller vehicles leaving large trucks and SUVs on lots for weeks or months at a time. This new trend of moving into smaller vehicles may (hopefully) revive the small-midsize truck market.

It's been quite a while since a Taurus SHO (Super High Output) was available in a Ford dealership, but this may change. Last Monday a group of 11 Chicago area Taurus SHO fanatics were quizzed by Ford execs about the car.

A few days ago Ford announced the pricing for the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR that will be in showrooms later this month.

Yesterday Jerry York made some statements about the fact that Ford should sell its Volvo and Mercury brands. Well today Ford has released an official statement that Volvo is not for sale and that the automaker continues to invest in Mercury.

Ford has announced the pricing for the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR.

Ford recently unloaded Land Rover and Jaguar and now there are speculations that Ford may be looking at selling Volvo.

Kelley Blue Book has released its list of the top ten coolest vehicles under $18,000 for 2008. Most of us can think of a list of cars that we would "label" as cool, but most of these cars probably don't list for under $18,000.

Ford announced today that the automaker posted a $100 million profit for Q1 2008, which is a $382 million increase over the same period last year. Most of the profit can be attributed to strong sales in Europe and South America, which helped offset the declining US market.

Ford has unveiled the Fiesta S at the Beijing Auto Show. The Fiesta S is essentially the same as the Fiesta that was originally unveiled in Europe with some "sporty" elements thrown in.

Ford recently held its dealer meetings in Las Vegas where the automaker announced the changes to the 2009 Ford Fusion.

Ford is working on a new Mustang for 2010 and this time the stakes are even higher since the new Camaro and Challenger are set to steal the Mustang's market share.

I'm sure you're as surprised as nearly everyone else in the automotive world when you see a headline like that. Well apparently the new 2008 (US) Focus is selling beyond expectations and Ford is going to increase production of the vehicle.

Ford just released a newly restyled Ford Focus in the US, but it still not the same Ford Focus that is offered in Europe. This is finally going to change in 2010.

Ford's new Flex crossover is about to hit showrooms in a few months and Ford is hoping that crossover buyers flock to it...well at least 100,000 of them a year.

Ford is pledging to reduce its vehicle's emissions by 30% by 2020 in Europe and the U.S.

A single photo of what is supposed to be the all-new 2010 Ford Taurus has been circulating the web today and here it is.

Calling all Ford truck owners!

NBC has made it official that the Knight Rider made for TV movie is going to become a series on NBC.

The Knight Rider TV movie apparently received high enough ratings to make it into a weekly series according to the latest reports.

Ford's new Flex crossover was unveiled over a year ago and will be hitting dealerships soon. When it was unveiled the seven-passenger crossover was seen as a replacement for Ford's Windstar/ Freestar minivan. Well instead of marketing the new vehicle towards families, Ford is choosing to market it to people that want a "cool or stylish" vehicle.

Ford has finally announced the agreement for Tata Motors to officially take ownership of Land Rover and Jaguar.

Ford has unveiled the all-new 2009 Fiesta five-door in Geneva today. The five-door is debuting next to the all-new three-door version.

Ford has announced that it is going to recall approx 470,000 Mustangs (2005-2008 MY) to update the airbag system, specifically the passenger side airbag.

The all-new 2009 Ford Flex is going to start at $28,995 when it goes on sale this summer. The 2009 Ford Flex is larger than the soon to be dead Ford Taurus X and it also replaces the Freestar minivan in Ford's lineup.

Ford has unveiled the 2009 E-Series full-size van, which recieves many interior upgrades for the new model year.

Last week Ford finally took the wraps off the all-new 2009 Fiesta hatchback. The US is going to receive the Fiesta as a 2010 model, but supposedly only has a sedan.

Ford has officially unveiled the long awaited 2008 Ford FG Falcon for the Australian market.

Ford has finally taken the wraps off of its new global small car, the 2009 Ford Fiesta before its officially unveiling in Geneva next month.

Ford is going to unveil the 2009 Kuga crossover for Europe in Geneva next month.

Ford is going to unveil a new sport version of its popular Edge crossover for the 2009 model year.

According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, a redesigned Ford Taurus will be introduced next year.

Although the Detroit Auto Show may be over, Ford has decided to unveil new versions of its Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs for the 2009 model year.

Earlier this week Ford officially unveiled the new 2009 Ford F-150.

Now that I am finally back from all the festivities in Detroit I can finally post more of the stuff from the show.

Here's the two minute trailer of the upcoming Knight Rider two hour TV-movie.

The Ford Explorer has been one of the most popular SUVs since it was introduced in the early nineties. But today the Explorer is being overshadowed by the new car based SUVs such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4 and even the new Ford Edge.

Ford is going to unveil its newest engine technology at the Detroit Auto Show this month.

After 75 years of being in the number two spot in the US, Ford has given up the title to Toyota.

Ford has just released a press release confirming that the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR will star as the next KITT on the new Knight Rider TV series.

Just in case you can't decide between the convertible or coupe Mustang, Ford has decided to offer a third option for 2009.

It looks like the Ford Ranger is going to die by 2009.

Spies have managed to capture a few shots of the upcoming 2009 Ford F-150. Up until now we have only seen prototypes of the truck fully cloaked in camouflage.

Ford has unveiled the four-door Verve concept at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China. Ford unveiled a hatchback version of the Verve at the recent Frankfurt Auto Show and a third variant is expected at the Detroit Auto Show this coming January.

Lincoln has released the first official pictures of the upcoming 2009 MKS, which will be officially unveiled at the LA Auto Show this week.

Ford has finally revealed the Bullitt version of its popular Mustang.

Lincoln is going to officially unveil its newest sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show in two weeks, but the car has been caught filming either for a commercial or for the next Batman movie.

Alan Mulally, Ford's CEO has recently told the Automotive News that Ford is working on simplifying its lineup to reduce costs and to make it easier for customers to decide which cars they want to buy.

Ford has released a single teaser image of the Mustang Bullitt that is expected to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show next month.

According to Consumer Reports, Toyota's predicted reliability has slipped from the previous number one spot, while Ford has moved up.

Just in case you think the Ford Fusion is not sporty enough, Ford is releasing a new Sport Appearance Package for the 2008 Fusion.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just given the 2008 Mustang Convertible five stars, its highest safety rating. This is the first convertible in history to receive such a rating.

Ok as ridiculous as this story sounds it is true. Ford's sales last month dipped over 20 percent compared to September 2006. The American Family Association is now taking some of the credit for the disappointing sales.

According to a new analyst report by Goldman Sachs the "Big 3" all had sales declines last month.

We all should remember the Ford Escort that was very popular in the 1980's. The "World Car" actually saved Ford in its early days, but as the 90's set in it quickly became unpopular and died by the new millennium.

It is very rare for an automaker to make revisions to a model right before it is introduced because of consumer backlash, but that is what Ford is doing with the all-new Ford Focus.

Spy photos of the upcoming Ford Mustang Bullitt have showed up on the internet. This time around the Bullitt version of the popular Ford Mustang will do without any spoilers or hood scoops. Instead it will remain simple and pack more muscle than the Mustang GT.

According to a new report by CNW Marketing Research, about 20 percent of Ford's dealers are referring to the new Ford Taurus by the old Five-Hundred name.

Ford today announced the pricing and details of the "all-new" 2008 Ford Focus.

Yesterday Ford unveiled their newest CUV for the European market, the Kuga. The great looking CUV follows Ford's new "kinetic" design theme. The Kuga also draws inspiration from the Iosis X Concept CUV that was shown last year.

Ford has unveiled the new "kinetic" Ford Focus (UK). The new Ford Focus will begin arriving in showrooms by the end of this year.

Brenda Priddy and Crew caught the upcoming 2009 Ford Fiesta driving around covered in camo. These are the best photos yet of Ford's new small car that we will actually get here in the US.

For years there has been speculation that Ford may eventually kill off Mercury due to weak sales. The current Mercury lineup is aging and there seems to be little new projects in the works. Could this mean that Ford is finally letting Mercury die a slow death?

Ford has announced that the automaker is finally going to bring a new small car to the US that will be smaller than the Ford Focus. The next Ford Fiesta is going to share its platform with the recently introduced Mazda2.

Ford CEO, Allan Mulally has announced that the next generation small and midsize cars from the Blue Oval will be global cars. This means that models like the Ford Focus, which differs from the model in Europe will finally be the same car.

Spy photographers have caught Ford's new supermini testing. It adopts many of the same styling cues as the Mondeo and S-MAX. The car is going to feature a large grille, flared wheel arches and angular headlamps.

Or Maybe not... According to BusinessWeek Volkswagen takes the award for having the most recalled 2007 models. VW recalled just over 1 million New Beetles because of faulty brake light switches.

Ford has announced the pricing for it's new Sync system that was co-developed with Microsoft. Ford Sync offers the ability to connect digital media players such as the iPod and Bluetooth cell phones to your car, which then can be controlled using your voice and steering wheel mounted controls.

Brenda Priddy & Co. has caught what looks like a test mule of the 2010 Ford Mustang. Although the front end is heavily camouflaged, it is apparent that Ford is working on revisions to its popular pony car.

Reuters has posted a list of the 20 top-selling vehicles in the U.S. through July of 2007. There aren't really any big surprises here.

Last month will go down in the record books as the first month that Detroit's Big 3 (Ford, GM and Chrysler) sold less vehicles than their foreign competitors. Sales from Ford, GM and Chrysler only made up 48.1 percent of all vehicles sales in the U.S. last month, while foreign competitors made up 51.9 percent.

Forbes has put together a list of the top 20 most dangerous vehicles on the road. The Buick Rendevous SUV/ Minivan topped their list as possibly the worst car to buy right now in terms of safety. Compared to other minivans the Rendevous is up to three times more likely to cause a fatality.

Ford has surprised the industry by posting a net profit of $750 million for the second quarter of 2007. After seven straight quarters of being in the red, Ford has managed to come back. Well don't get excited because it wasn't from actual car sales in North America, sales dropped 9 percent last quarter.

Ford's Mustang isn't usually on the top of the list of most eco-friendly vehicles, but it may move a little higher in 2008. Ford is going to be the first automaker to use soy based foam in the 2008 Ford Mustang's seats.

Recently US Presidential candidate Barack Obama was criticized for lecturing automakers about their gas-guzzling vehicles. At the same time he owned a Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C, which to some people seemed a little hypocritical.

Two weeks ago Ford announced that the automaker is going to develop engines with twin turbochargers that will improve power and fuel economy (TwinForce). The first car to feature the new technology will be the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan.

Allan Mulally, Ford's CEO stated yesterday that Ford is predicting that they will have plug-in hybrids on their showroom floors within 5 to 10 years.

Leave it to Hollywood to remake every cool movie possible. Hollywood is following the Detroit automakers with their retro Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers, with the remake for the popular 1960's movie Bullit.

According to Automotive News Ford is going to install two turbochargers on its 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines to increase fuel economy and power.

Brenda Priddy and Crew have caught the new 2009 Ford Flex driving on public roads. The concept was unveiled earlier this year at the New York Auto Show. From the looks of the production version it will be very hard to tell the difference between the concept and production versions.

Earlier this week, Ford confirmed that the automaker has hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to sell the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Now according to recent reports, Cerberus, the firm that just bought Chrysler is also looking at the possibility of buying Jaguar and Land Rover.

Ford is planning on expanding their range of hybrid vehicles beyond the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs, but the automaker is having engineering issues with a new generation of rechargeable electric cars.

Ford has announced the addition of the Shelby GT Convertible for the 2008 model year. The new Shelby GT convertible will be powered by the same powertrain in the current Shelby GT (not the GT 500), which produces 319 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque.

Most of us know that the housing market and overall economy in Detroit has pretty much bottomed out because of all the automaker job cuts. Well apparently the housing market has gotten really bad that now sellers are throwing in a free car with the purchase of a house.

According to Automotive News, Ford has hired investments banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to help with the sale of the Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover brands.

The new 2009 Ford Fiesta has been spotted on American soil. This next generation Fiesta will be sold in Europe and in the U.S. when it is released.

Ford plans on using the tagline "The Safest Car in America" for the recently introduced 2008 Ford Taurus. The Ford Taurus and the Mercury Sable received the highest possible crash test scores by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

J.D. Power and Associates has released the results of their 2007 Initial Quality Survey. Porsche held the top spot with only 91 problems per 100 vehicles for the second time in a row. But it was Ford that made the biggest headlines.

Last year Renault-Nissan was in talks with General Motors about a possible alliance between the automakers. But unfortunately the talks ended when neither side could come to an agreement on the price of the relationship. Now fast forward to 2007 and Renault-Nissan is reportedly looking for a relationship with either Ford or Chrysler.

The Ford Ranger is definitely one of the oldest vehicles in Ford's current lineup. The truck hasn't received a major redesign since 1993 and since the small truck segment has been shrinking, Ford hasn't redesigned it. The current plant that Ford builds the Ranger in is slated to be closed in 2008. So what will happen to the Ranger?

Even though gas prices in the US are at record levels, the new Ford Super Duty (F-350 and F-450) are selling like hot cakes.

The Detroit Free Press has posted the list of the top-20 best selling vehicles in the US last month. The list looks pretty similar to last month, with only a few vehicles moving up or down the list. The overall trend seems to be that consumers are moving further away from trucks and SUVs.

The new Ford Edge is one of Ford's most popular new vehicles. The new crossover is now the third best selling mid-size crossover behind the Nissan Murano and the Toyota Highlander. Because of this Ford has increased its sales forecast for the Edge from 100,000 to 120,000.

Ford has been pretty slow to respond to the growing need of more fuel-efficient models and with the styling advancement of their sedan range, which has disappointed Ford's senior management. One example is the Ford Five-Hundred aka. Ford Taurus. The styling of that sedan is not only boring, but it also looks like it could have been designed in the 80's or early 90's.

A new study by Harbour Consulting has announced that Toyota is the most productive automaker, since it only takes Toyota 29.93 hours to make a car. Nissan came in second with 29.97 hours and Honda came in third at 31.63 hours.

Forbes has gathered what they believe to be the safest new cars on the market. They searched through Consumer Reports, Department of Transportation, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) to compile the list of the top 20 safest cars of 2007.

Yesterday rumors surfaced that Ford was thinking about selling Volvo and that BMW was interested. Apparently the rumors are false according to a Ford spokesperson.

Ford and US automakers as a whole have been hit pretty hard this year due to declining SUV sales. Rising gas prices have forced consumers to move away from large gas-guzzling SUVs into smaller more fuel-efficient models. Well Ford's emphasis on its crossover lineup is finally reaping its rewards.

According to the Goteborgs Posten, a Swedish newspaper, Ford is thinking about selling Volvo. Ford who has been in financial distress the past few years lost $327 million from their luxury nameplates, which includes Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and Volvo (Ford does not disclose the revenue totals for each of its luxury brands).

Ford has released the pricing of the new 2008 Ford Taurus X crossover. The Taurus X that replaces the Freestyle in Ford's lineup will start at $27,365. The new car is basically the old Freestyle with a new name, more powerful 3.5L V6, and revised front and rear styling.

For years everyone has suggested that Ford kill of its Mercury division. The division simply sells rebadged versions of Ford products, that don't usually have higher levels of performance or luxury. The brand has been seen as a waste of valuable resources and a severe drain on the parent company. Lately Mercury has had somewhat of a revitalization.

According to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the federal government may need to bail out U.S. automakers in order to keep them in business. The bail out could amount to several billion dollars.

The Ford Explorer has been the best selling SUV for years. In 2000 Ford sold 445,157 Explorers. Although recently sales of the current generation have continued to drop significantly with each new year, mainly due to high fuel prices. At the same time sales of more fuel-efficient crossovers have continued to rise. In the first 4 months of this year Honda sold 64,951 of the all-new Honda CR-V vs. the 47,553 Explorers that Ford sold. For the first time ever the Honda CR-V is now the best selling SUV in the U.S.

The new 2008 Ford Focus has been spotted and as you can tell from the pics, it doesn't look much better than the current version. Ford unveiled the new 2008 Focus sedan and coupe at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. It is nice that they finally decided to freshen their aging U.S. Focus, but why won't Ford bring over the Focus that is sold in Europe?

In the past month GM has announced that their sales were down due to the slowing housing market and increasing gas prices. The automaker also stated that the sales of their new full-size pickups are not doing as well as they had hoped. Now comes word that the automaker is offering incentives to move the large trucks, since sales dropped 7% last month.

Edmunds.com has posted a list of the most wanted cars in 2007 based on reader feedback. Out of the 32 categories you may be surprised which automaker took home the most awards....

Transmission maker ZF has announced plans to produce an 8-speed automatic transmission that will likely be used in future Ford, BMW and VW vehicles. The transmission called the "8HP" will be used in the new 2009 BMW 7-Series that will debut in late 2008.

The Car Connection has posted several images of the new 2009 Ford F-150 during testing outside of Detroit. Spy photographers managed to capture photos of the different configurations of the popular truck.

April's auto sales numbers have just been posted and almost every major automaker had a sales decrease last month. Even the Asian automakers that have been making headlines for their sales gains, took a hit.

Automakers have just released their April 2007 U.S. sales figures. Here is the list of the top 10 best selling vehicles last month (in order by number of sales). The bottom of the list may surprise you.

Ford has posted their Q1 2007 earnings. The net loss for Q1 was $282 million, which is a lot better than last year's loss of $1.4 billion for the same period. Cost-cutting and improved sales from their European and luxury brands helped to decrease the overall lose for the quarter.

For the first time ever, Toyota has sold more cars and trucks worldwide than GM, in the first three months of this year. Toyota's sales for the first quarter rose 9% to a record 2.35 million compared to GM which only rose 3% to 2.26 million vehicles.

According to a report by the Automotive News, between September 2006 and February 2007, 48.5% of Chrysler brand sales were to fleets. That is an increase of 10% from the same period a year ago. 44.9% of Pontiac sales go to fleets, which is slightly lower than the 46.2% from the year earlier.

Kelly Blue Book has compiled their list of the top 10 coolest cars under $18,000. Today as the average car price is well into the $20,000's it is good to know that there are cheaper alternatives that are still cool to own.

Apparently Ford's quality is now on par with Toyota and Nissan, according to a new report released today. The RDA Group has released a report on the quality of 2007 model year vehicles. The group concluded that Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles have the same quality levels as Toyota and Nissan in the first-quarter 2007 model-year Global Quality Research System report.

Lincoln is finally working on new products for their aging line-up. This car is a prototype of the 2009 Lincoln MKS, which is bigger than the current MKZ. The MKS was first shown as a concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. The production version looks like it is going to retain many of the main details of the concept version.

In the first quarter of this year, fewer than 50% of Americans that bought new cars, bought from domestic brands. 48.9% of Americans bought cars and trucks from Ford, GM or Chrysler. This is down from last year and represents a continued downward slide for the domestic automakers.

For the seventh consecutive year, Ford has been voted by readers of the Reader's Digest as Britain's most trusted car brand.

According to the Associated Press, Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 500,000 Ford Escape SUVs due to  engine fires that are related to corrosion on antilock brake connectors.

According to Reuters and Autoblog, Ford's new CEO Alan Mulally earned $28.18 million dollars last year while the company posted a $12.7 billion loss last year.

Ford has finally taken the wraps off their next "crossover" the 2009 Ford Flex at the New York Auto Show. The new car is supposed to fill the void left by the deseased Ford Windstar/Freestar.

Toyota's sales increased 9% last month compared to March 2006. This was largely driven by sales of the new Camry, the RAV4 and the Prius.

Ford has announced the pricing and overall specs for the 2008 Ford Taurus (aka. Ford Five-Hundred). The new Taurus will start under $24k and will cost thousands less than its main competition (Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300).

Ford and Shelby Automobiles announced today the launch of the new 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR. This is the most powerful Mustang ever produced and it is inspired by the 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR.

Ford has announced that they are finally going to show the production version of the Fairlane concept at the New York Auto show next month. They decided to not keep the Fairlane name and instead rename the new car, the Ford Flex.

Jaguar has been in financial trouble for years. The new XF that will come out sometime in early 2008 is the brand's last hope. The car is going to replace the slow selling S-Type in the lineup. Jaguar released a concept version of its S-Type replacement in Detroit, the C-XF.

Ford has officially announced today that they are selling the British company, Aston Martin to an investment group led by Prodrive founder David Richards.

Ford is close to announcing the sale of Aston Martin. According to reports the racing firm Prodrive is the likely new owner. The deal is going to close for $870 million, which is half of what Ford hoped to get for the British car maker.

Ford used the Chicago Auto Show to announce the return of two nameplates that were supposedly killed. (Taurus and Sable) The newly revised Five-Hundred, Montego and Freestyle have had their names swapped out at the last minute.